The Sparks Between- LaLu Week 2017
by FizzyBubblegum13
Summary: My entries for Laxus and Lucy Ship Week 2017- 6th March to 12th March. Multiple Genres. Prompts- Masquerade, War, Tears, Protect, Summer, Falling, Father. [M] for sexual content.
1. Information

Hey guys, time for LaLu week! Woho!

It's from 6th of March till 12th of March.

So I already have three and a half prompts ready~

Just hope you guys like it.

The prompts are-

 _Day 1- Masquerade_

 _Day 2- War_

 _Day 3- Tears_

 _Day 4- Protect_

 _Day 5- Summer_

 _Day 6- Falling_

 _Day 7- Father_

Yes, I drew the cover image. Yes, I am aware that my art is not the best.

I'll post the first prompt in exactly twenty four hours!

Hope you guys like it!

Fizz out.


	2. Of Proper Ladies and Mysterious Men

**Author's Note- Hey guys! It's here! Let's give our favourite lightning dragon slayer some loving~**

 **You know that thing which happens when you want to do something fast? Like, apps hang, you're phone's slow, the net decides to be a bitch. Yeah, everything happening right now.**

 **Blanket disclaimer- I don't own Fairy Tail, the amazing Hiro Mashima does. And please excuse any typos, I write this stuff on my phone.**

* * *

Day 1- _**Masquerade:**_ _Of Proper Ladies and Mysterious Men_

* * *

Lucy gritted her teeth as the maids forced the corset to close completely. Her lungs were screaming in pain, but she didn't voice her anguish.

Proper ladies do not complain.

She was slipped into a heavy gown and thin heels. Her makeup was adjusted and her hair styled. After what seemed like ages, she was allowed to see her reflection. A Victoria gown hugged her curves till her waist, from where it spread out. It was mainly black, with yellow accents. Her makeup was thankfully lesser than usual, because of the nature of the ball. Her hair was curled and pulled into a dainty bun on her head, with stray curls framing her face. A gothic choker, with a yellow strap and black lace, was put on her neck like a collar. She was, by all accounts, pretty.

The maids laid praise on her, and then rushed off to find the last accessory for the outfit. The cool material was slid over the upper half of her face and tied at the back, hidden in her hair most likely. She once again looked at her appearance. A black mask hid her face, but it was only till her nose. It was a delicate thing, with yellow gemstones imbedded in it on either side of the cutout for her eyes. The makeup of her eyes, combined with the effect of the mask, made her gaze look more intense than usual. It made her look older, mature.

Father would be happy.

"Mistress, your father has summoned you."

Her feet moved automatically, and she walked through the empty corridors of her mansion. All that could be heard was the clicking of her heels reverberating across the huge walls. Reaching the door of his office, she knocked before entering. Her father was bent over his desk, examining some papers. She stood there, silent, and waited for him to finish the work and talk to her.

Proper ladies do not talk until spoken to.

He threw the papers in a file and got up. "Lucy," he said, "I see you are ready for the ball. Now I want you to be on your best behaviour, because today we are introducing you to society. Behave and you will have an array of suitors for yourself." She nodded in agreement and wedrew from the room. Her audience was over. Her father rarely talked to her, so the few words were usual.

She went back to her room because she knew that all the servants had left for the ball preparations. Quickly looking threw her drawer, she took out a key ring and attached it to her modified garter. She wouldn't go anywhere without her keys. Taking a deep breath, she waited for her summon.

Laxus pulled at the tight collar of the suit Freed had forced him into. He couldn't believe that his grandfather would do this to him.

"Laxus, I need you to attend a ball. They have requested the presence of our guild and I would have gone had it not been for the council summon. Natsu managed to burn down a building by an arial attack thanks to Happy. Since they specifically requested for me, I need you to go instead because you are my grandson. I know you don't want to go, but this is important. If they like you, they might even consider funding some guild projects."

Laxus sighed as he fidgeted with his mask. Only the rich could hold a party and not show their faces.

"From what I gather, the party is in honour of the man's daughter, who has come of age. Sixteen, I think. So there will be people your age."

Yeah, as if that mattered to Laxus. The rich were the rich and nothing could change that. They would still be just as pansy and irritating as they are at seventy.

He was standing at the corner of the hall, looking for drinks. Only hammered could he survive this. A waiter swept past him and he picked up one delicate glass from the tray in his hand. Drinking it all in one gulp, he tried to savour the taste. This wasn't the cheep, but strong, beer of the guild. It was smooth, and barely gave him a buzz. "Laxus Dreyar, I presume?" He turned to see a blonde man in a fancy suit. His mouth was a hard line, and his eyes man had an aura of power. His mask was very basic, and Laxus got the feeling that he wasn't throwing this party because he liked to cut loose.

"Yea' that's me. Sorry my grandfather couldn't make it, he had urgent business." The man nodded at him. "Of course, he sent me a letter. I do hope you enjoy yourself. Everyone is curious about you." Laxus instantly got why Fairy Tail had been invited. The man wanted bragging rights that one of the most powerful guild's was in his pocket. He wanted Laxus to tell everyone that he is from Fairy Tail. Laxus would never give him that pleasure now that he knew.

"Ah, my daughter is here." Laxus turned to look where the man was looking, and stared. On the top of the staircase stood the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Curves in all the right places, she looked delicate. Unlike the rest of the females in the party, she pulled off the gown with ease. It moulded to her, and she looked like she was born to wear it due to the grace she carried it with. It was mainly black, but the yellow in it matched her hair perfectly.

He couldn't see her face properly, not that he minded. The mask suited her perfectly, the gemstones in it sparkling just as much as her eyes. With one dainty hand on the balustrade, she almost floated down the kept looking at her, but to his surprise when her eyes swept across the room, they rested on him.

Lucy stood at the top of the staircase, nervous. This was it. In some time, she would be married to one of the men in this room. She descended the staircase as she observed the men in the room. Half of them were fat or old, some both. A few were tolerable. And then she saw him.

His muscles threatened to rip through the suit he was wearing. Unruly blond hair, and a tall, imposing figure. She had never seen a man like him. The rich men didn't work, and thus their muscular development was null. It was frowned upon if you were in any way physically developed, because that suggested you did manual labour. But not him, he was the best specimen of the masculine physique she had ever laid eyes on. The smirk on his lips told her that he had definitely noticed her looking at him. Lucy wished to rip of his mask, to see if he looked as good as she imagined under that mask.

Her father took her too meet some favourable suitors, but her eyes never left the blond man. She replied politely, and didn't let her pleasant smile waver even when the man tried to grip her waist. She didn't object when her father subtly implied that she was to be married off and that they could court her if they wanted.

Proper ladies let themselves be sold to the highest bidder.

She wanted to so badly free herself from the golden cage she was born in, bur she didn't have the nerve to do it. She had been fine till her mother was alive, but once she died Lucy's life went in a downward spiral. She was dying to burst free from her cage, and finally spread her wings, but something was holding her back.

Supposing she did leave, where would she go? What would she do? How would she survive? She didn't know that answers to these questions, and unless they were answered she couldn't leave her cage.

So she resigned herself, she would end up marrying one of the men in this room.

Soon the music had started and she was asked to dance. It was her birthday after all, she was the center of attraction. Every song she had a partner, a different partner, and she showed off her dancing lessons. It was why her father had organised a ball, otherwise he wouldn't have. She was to showcase her years of learnings the proper etiquette, dance, and social interactions. So that she could show her merits and someone would buy her for them.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw her mystery man. She decided he wasn't born an aristocrat with the way he knocked back glasses and glasses of champagne but still remained standing. The man was a physical representation of everything she couldn't have.

He was from a different world than her's, but he was in the same room as her. He was freedom, in her grasp, but never truly with her because she didn't approach him.

Steeling herself, she went towards him the moment the current song ended.

Laxus saw her being lead across the party. Her father was introducing her to all the men present, no matter the age. She was always smiling a pleasant smile, the kind of smile he associated with Mira when she was disgusted but tried to hide it. It unnerved him when someone tried to grab her waist, she escaped, but she still kept smiling.

He could hear what they were talking about thanks to his hearing, and he positively puked when her father told a man thrice her age that she was open for marriage. Sure, he phrased it very differently, but Laxus got the gist. She was here tonight to be shown as a marriageable female, open for courting by everyone.

The music started playing and she was asked by the man next to her to dance. He saw her glide through the dance, as though she had wings. The tiniest of movements she carried off with perfect poise. Her dancing was graceful, just like her. She never danced with one person twice.

As yet another song ended, she left her partner and started walking towards his general direction. He looked around, trying to find who she was going to near him, and was very surprised when she stopped right in front of him.

"Would you join me for the next dance?"

He simply nodded at her and grabbed the hand she had subtly offered. Leading him towards the center, without it actually looking like she was the one leading, she placed her other hand on his shoulder. Observation had told him that he was supposed to put his hand on her waist, so he did and they started dancing.

He had supposed that he skin would be soft, but he was surprised. Her skin was too soft, like a feather, except the tips. The tips were calloused, something he couldn't believe. What did she do that they were so? Hold a pen too hard? Write too much?

His eyes wandered over her face. A thin neck, highly noticeable due to her choker, lead him up. Plump, red, cupid bow lips. High cheekbones, and a perfect nose. A gaze that burned into him, demanding his deepest, darkest being come out and greet her. Caramel eyes with dark, full lashes that occasionally peeked out from the mask. Hey eyes made her seem older than just sixteen. She looked twenty. Again, it unnerved him.

Lucy couldn't believe how tiny her hand felt in his mammoth one's. For the first time that evening, she was glad for the extra height she had gained due to her shoes. He was tall, extremely so. His muscles loomed over her. She knew if he wanted, he could pick her up with ease.

His lips were in a straight line, as though he was trying not to scowl. Possibly that was the case. His eyes were blue, of the clearest skies, and they were demanding her attention. His hair was sticking up all over as though it was under the influence of static electricity. He could barely manage not stepping all over her feet.

"You are not like the rest, are you?"

Her voice was like wind chimes, clear and sweet. He chuckled at her question. Their similarities were as many as Natsu's love for order and method. It did not exist.

"No, that I am Blondie."

His deep chuckle sent increased her heart palpitations the tenfold. Was she having a cardiac arrest? The heavy baritone of his voice made her stomach lurch. Maybe she was sick.

"Don't be stupid. You're blond too."

Feisty. Laxus decided he liked her. So, he decided to ask her. "Do you want to be married off?" Her face fell dramatically. The sparkle in her eyes died down a little. "No, I don't."

"Then why don't you do anything?" She stared at him as though he had come from a different planet. "I have to. It's my father's wish."

She didn't know why she was telling him this, but she didn't stop. "It's not like I can leave." Now he looked confused. "Why? Don't you want to see the world?"

She did want to see the world. At the moment, it was all she wanted. "I do what that. But even if I do leave, where will I go?"

"Don't you have any interests? Or goals?" He was confused as to why he was talking to her at all about this, but he still talked. Somewhere deep inside, he understood what it felt like, being moulded to suit your father's whims. He was a dragonslayer just for that reason after all.

"I-I want to improve my magical skill." At that he raised an eyebrow at her. "You're a mage?" She nodded at him. She was behaving like this was some big secret, so he kept his voice low. "Then why not join a guild?"

He wasn't about to take her to Fairy Tail, but he could point her on the right direction. "In a guild, you would get many jobs. You could live on your own. Some guilds even have a girl's hostel. You'll be independent."

Her eyes shone at him, her facial expression turning into one he hadn't seen in a long time. Gratitude. "Thank you. That is it." She barely whispered it, but he caught it anyway.

The song ended and they parted ways. She couldn't believe it. He had given her the answer to all the questions which had been holding her back.

He had freed her from her cage.

It was later in the night that she realised that she didn't even know his name. She couldn't very well ask her father, the man didn't seem the type he would approve of.

* * *

The memories of the day of her sixteenth birthday resurfaced when the word 'masquerade' left the Master's lips. They had won the Grand Magic Games for a second year in a row, and the royal household was organising a masquerade ball in their honour.

This year, when Master had made two teams, she had been put in Fairy Tail team B. Natsu refused to leave the team without her, and Natsu was put in the second team to by controlled by Laxus. Instead, team A had Gajeel and Juvia, much to the water mage's happiness.

The switch in teams changed the dynamics of the Games, and maybe that was why team Be won. But in the weeks of the Games, Lucy got to know her team members even better than she already knew. Cana and her made the prefect tag team. She realised exactly how powerful Mira truly was, something which terrified he tried no end. But the biggest surprise was Laxus.

They had a lot in common, ranging from choice in books to strategy meetings. He was intelligent, and sharp. He understood his team, and organised them to utilise their full potential. His also cared for them, and deliberately avoided Lucy confronting Minevra in any way. Lucy, was intrigued to say in the least.

Sometimes she would catch herself staring at the handsome mage, and she had a gut feeling that he knew. He removed his coat everytime she walked into the room.

She asked Virgo's help to get a gown and mask for the masquerade. When asked for specifics, something in her made her repeat the outfit of her childhood. The one she had worn on her birthday from nine years ago. Well, three actually.

Thankfully Virgo brought something different. Lucy didn't think she could handle having the exact same gown, which she had then associated with her metaphoric chains. The gown was the same colour scheme, but the cuts and designs were different. The mask was black, with gold strokes forming intricate patterns and swirls. It didn't have a corset.

She called out Cancer and he curled her hair, only for it to be piled up on her head. A few loose strands escaped and fell on the sides of her face. No makeup, except a sheer and glossy balm for her lips. She wore flats.

She was still Lucy Heartfilia, but now she was also Lucy of Fairy Tail. She wasn't just a proper lady, she was a grown, independent woman. She was graceful, she was a fighter.

When she walked into the ballroom, she wasn't nervous.

She was internally hoping to meet the mystery man from her birthday. He was important enough to be invited by her father, maybe he was important enough to be invited by the royal family as well? She wanted to thank the man. Without him, she would have never left her mansion three days later, and started on this whirlwind of adventures.

Laxus couldn't believe it. It was _her_. The woman he had met so long ago, on her sixteenth birthday. He recognised the proud chin from under the mask as the one he had danced with. He knew that scent very well now.

It was Lucy.

He went across the hall and came behind her.

"Would you join me for the next dance?"

Lucy turned and froze. In front of her was the man she had been looking for. The one she wanted to thank. But she was very well acquainted with that smirk now.

It was Laxus.

She simply took the hand he had offered and he led her to the center of the ballroom. Taking the proper stance, they started dancing. "You're shorter than the last time."

"I wore heels last time. And technically, I am taller than last time." He chuckled. "So, it was you. I see you took my advice."

"That, I did. I wanted to thank you though." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Had you not given me the idea, I would have probably been married and with children right now."

"I need to thank myself too, that means. You wouldn't have been a part of my team otherwise. So, go ahead." She gave him her snarkiest grin. "I want to thank you properly. Over dinner. Care to come with me on Saturday night?"

"You'll pay." She sighed. "Yes Laxus, otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

"Okay, it's a date then Blondie."

Lucy of nine years ago wouldn't have even had the guts to ask Laxus. Lucy of eight years ago would have started stammering. Lucy of a year ago would have blushed at his comment.

Now, Lucy simply smiled.

Laxus couldn't help but compare this smile with the fake one she had plastered over her face on her birthday. That one was eeriy, and gave him goosebumps.

The smile in front of him was beautiful.

* * *

 **How was it? Good? Bad? Boring? Cliché?...I think it was.**

 **Tomorrow's prompt-** _ **War**_


	3. The Prank War

**Author's Note- Thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews, really they made my day!**

 **This is for the amazing LovelyLovelyLove, I know I have said this many times, but I hope you're okay. And I also hope this cheers you up (at least a little bit!)**

 **I have takes some liberties with Lucy's magic, but it was needed for the plot. Please excuse me!**

* * *

Day 2- _**War:**_ _The Prank War_

* * *

"Laxus, your office is absolutely filthy." Lucy complained to the larger blond.

She had been assigned by Master Makarov to help Laxus with the constantly increasing piles of paperwork, which were mostly due to her team. Initially Master had delegated some of it to Laxus as it was getting out of hand for him. And since it kept on increasing, Lucy was requested to help the dragon slayer out. She was only too happy to help, because she felt partially responsible for the increasing workload. Laxus also seemed happy to get someone to chip in.

Lucy enjoyed the work. She and Laxus chatted throughout, making snarky comments on the reports and discussing common topics. Even though Laxus was a jerk, he was a quick witted jerk, much to Lucy's delight.

But that involved Lucy working in Laxus's office. The first time she stepped in the godforsaken place, she thought that a typhoon had accidentally hit the office. After making enough space for herself, she set to work. Bur concentrating on the task became harder by the minute when her attention kept getting diverted to what looked like spoilt food and year old cobwebs. How did Laxus, with his enhanced senses, manage to work in such filth?

Maybe that was why he couldn't complete anything.

After a week of working there, she had finally had enough. She told him off. To her chagrin, he simply scoffed at her and sent an eraser flying her way, which hit her squarely in the face. Pissed, she picked up a pencil and threw it at the offending man.

He caught it just before the pointy end hit his skin. Looking up from his paperwork, he glared at the celestial mage. "Don't like how dirty it is? Have a crack at it." She gave him her worst glare and stocked off. She didn't see the terrified expression of the lightning dragon slayer.

The next day she came to the guild hours earlier, with her cleaning supplies. She knew that Laxus doesn't come till eleven, and she planned to utilise the time productively.

Mirajane had looked faintly surprised to see anyone in the guild this early. "Lucy, you're early today. What have you brought?" Lucy sighed. "My cleaning supplies. I'm planning to rid Laxus's office of the grime. I'm not working there in the dirt." At that Mira looked disgusted, knowing fully well how bad the condition was. Giving the girl her best wishes, she continued arranging her glasses.

Lucy had purposely gotten all the cleaning agents Natsu had complained about, since they gave him watery eyes and rashes. Laxus would pay for getting her to clean for him.

She wasn't a fool. She knew that by making her clean the office, he was trying to kill two birds with one stone. Get Lucy to shut up and get a clean office without doing any work. He clearly underestimated her.

Halfway in the task she felt she had overestimated herself.

First she had cleared up the desk and had found, to her utter and sheer disgust, a week or so old half eaten sandwich. That, she had hoped, explained the putrid odour in the office. Upon vacuuming the carpet she had gotten to know that it was not beige, as she had believed, but was actually a sparkling white. And if that hadn't been enough, cleaning the desk's drawers was a nightmare. More old food was produced, and some reports she was sure she too had written because Laxus had misplaced his. We'll, they weren't misplaced any longer.

It was when everything was scrubbed, polished and cleared away till the office shone, that she decided Laxus needed to be punished for putting her through this. And that rashes weren't enough.

She gave an evil cackle when an idea came to her, making the people who had already come to the guild shiver.

"Hey Mira, can I get a shake?" Lucy was sitting at the bar, patiently waiting for her pre- _friend_ to come to the guild and visit his now sparkling office. "Here you go Lucy! So the office is done?" A smile graced her features, a smile Mira was intimately familiar with. Behind her, Natsu and Gray spotted her expression and retreated from the blonde mage. "Yes it's done! It took a lot of effort, but believe me it was _worth_ it."

Just then Laxus entered the guild hall and without acknowledging anyone, as was his custom, went straight up to his office. Lucy slurped on her shake, waiting for the ball to drop.

Soon enough she was rewarded for her efforts.

"OUCH!" The sound was heard by everyone in the guild, including Lucy, who simply smirked, fiddling with the straw of her shake to get better access.

"OWW! FUCKING GODDAMMIT!" A door slammed open and heavy steps descended the staircase. The whole guild felt silent as everyone noticed Laxus's dark expression. He came to the bar and faced Lucy, who still had a smug smirk. "What. Did. You. Do?" He asked the celestial mage, barely being able to control his anger.

"Why nothing, just cleaned the filthy place." Her tone was light, cheerful. "Don't fool around, you did something. What did you do?" Her smirk widened. "Just some, what's the word? Ah, redecorating."

He glared at her, and sparks flew all around him. "Redecorating? Everything's in place." She finished the last dregs of her shake and faced him again. "You sure everything was really in place, Laxus?" His eyes widened in realisation.

"You shifted everything." Her lips dropped, forming a straight line. "You made me do all the work, so you pay."

"That's how it is? You're on, Blondie."

"Better not play with fire, Spark Plug."

The guild gave a collective gasp at that, surprised she was still alive. She slammed some jewels on the bar and left with Natsu. Laxus too went back to his office. None of them even looked at each other. As soon as both of them were out of hearing range, the guild broke into its usual chatter.

"Bets are open on Lucy versus Laxus! Who wins, who loses, who plays the most pranks!" The whole guild rounded on Cana, putting their wagers.

* * *

Lucy slid into a barstool and heard a squishy sound. Sighing, she signaled to Mira. "Hey Lu- my what happened?" Mira stared at the mage in shock. "Yo Luc- oh you're yellow!" She turned to glare at the fire dragon slayer. "Shut it Natsu, before I do it for you. I'll have something strong Mira." The take over mage soon returned with a cocktail in her hand. "Here Lucy. What happened?" She took the beverage and downed it in one big gulp. Slamming the glass back on the counter, she frowned. "Laxus happened."

Lucy had, as usual, opened the door of the office and suddenly the bucket had dropped on her. She should have suspected it then that the paint was different, because not even a drop spilled in the rest of the office. She quickly ran to the guild bathrooms and tried to wash it off, but nothing happened. Defeated, she went up to the bar.

Just as she took another drink from Mira, she heard a deep laugh. Turning, she saw Laxus doubled over with laughter. "Hahaha, Blondie, now you're truly blonde all over." She growled at him, and he snapped up, looking straight into her eyes.

"Why isn't it going away?" He chuckled, a sadistic grin spreading across his face. A treacherous part of her mind couldn't help but notice how good he looked while grinning. "Because it's magic. You're really suiting the dumb blonde stereotype right about now."

"You'll regret this Laxus." He started going to his office. "We'll see, Blondie. Thanks for cleaning, by the way." She screamed in frustration.

* * *

When Laxus entered his office, he was wary. And for good reason, he might add. But everything seemed normal. Lucy was sitting on a chair on the other side of his desk, working on the reports. And then he caught the sweet scent.

His sense of smell had been haywire since she had cleaned the place, thanks to the supplies she must have had used. And even now, his nose itched as he stepped in. So it was nice to smell the chocolate instead. He looked to see Lucy munching on some chocolate cookies from a box she had brought.

After fifteen minutes of silence, she got up and left the office. She purposely left the box of cookies, and had even eaten some she had made for herself in front of him. He wouldn't suspect a thing.

The paint had lasted for two horrible days. Thankfully it hadn't spread on her bedsheets, otherwise she would have had buckets of laundry. So it was when she had been furiously scrubbing at the paint that the idea had popped up in her head.

The smile she had sported when she came out of her bathroom had made Natsu and Happy promptly leave her apartment.

She had spent her entire evening making those cookies, and the fun part was that the 'extra resources' had already been present with her, thanks to a certain someone, so she didn't have to waste money on them.

Once again in the same position, she calmly sat down on the bar. "Your usual, Lucy?" She shook her head at the barmaid. "No, today I am in the mood for something _spicy_." Mira thought something was off, but didn't comment on it. "Okay, so what will you have?"

Just then, once again, a door slammed and heavy footsteps rushed down. "Mira, water!" Shocked at the intensity of the request by the lightning dragon slayer, she froze in her position. Quickly snapping out of it, she ran to get the liquid. Lucy surveyed the result of her efforts.

Laxus's face was red, extremely so. The redness was spreading to his neck and his eyes were watering. She laughed, delighted. Soon Mira was back with a glass and a jug of water.

Ignoring the glass, Laxus downed the whole jug and panted. Once capable of speaking, he looked at the amused mage. "What the fuck did you put in those cookies? And how are you still okay?"

"I put some Tabasco sauce and red chilli powder in the dough with cut up green chillies. And I am fine because I also made some cookies with plain old chocolate chips." At the mention of chilli, Natsu appeared behind Lucy. "Can I try them?"

"Yeah sure, I don't think he is about to have any more them, are you Laxus?" The blond glared at the giggling female. "Watch it Blondie, I'll be paying you back."

* * *

Laxus knew that if he followed Natsu's scent all over Magnolia, he would be lead to three places. One would be the guild. Second would be Natsu's house in the outskirts.

Last, but not the least, would be Lucy's apartment.

He found that out first hand when he followed her scent from the guild and came to her apartment. Quickly looking on either side to see if anyone was coming, he scaled the wall and found himself inside, because the foolish woman left her window open.

He would tell her off about that later.

Looking around, he tried to connect the place with Lucy. Pink walls, neat kitchen, bed with fluffy blankets. It was exactly what he had imagined it to be. But he digressed, he came there for a purpose.

At the back of his mind, he registered that apart from Lucy, the strongest scent in the place was of Natsu. Irritated, he went back to his task.

Lucy sighed as she entered her apartment. She had spent the entire morning writing reports on the damage done by her team. Every report had her recalling the incidences, and the pay lost. Add to that the fact that it was hotter than usual, she was beat and the afternoon had just started.

She had come back to have a nice, cool bath to beat the heat. Her mind couldn't concentrate, so it would help. Quickly stripping down, she entered her bathroom and started the shower. It was a recent installment, one she had been saving up for over a year. Lucy wasn't finicky about much, but to her baths were sacred.

Stepping in the cubicle, she sighed as the lower temperature of the water cooled off her overheated skin. Closing her eyes as the water hit her face, she reached for her shampoo and squeezed a generous amount in her palm. Rubbing her hands together, she started working on her hair. Her whole body froze as she realised that something was wrong.

Her shreeks of vengeance could be heard from a mile away.

* * *

Lucy slammed open the door of the office and, to her immense pleasure, saw Laxus jump in his seat. Good, he should be scared. She stalked up to the desk and leaned in till she was inches away from his face. She dropped the shampoo bottle on the desk. Grabbing the man by his shirt, she pushed him even closer. His eyes were shinning with amusement, which infuriated her even further.

She growled at the man, and saw that the mirth died down. Something replaced it, something she didn't recognise. Not that she cared. "Laxus fucking Dreyar, what the fuck were you doing in my apartment?"

"Clearly, it's obvious." His smirk was back in place, and Lucy's leg muscles were itching to kick him. "I'll tell you this once, and only once. Step foot in my apartment without my permission once again and you'll get to know what hell is like. Even Gray and Natsu don't have the audacity to mess with my bath."

"Well, maybe they just don't have the balls." She left his shirt. "My hair is a goddamn, oily mess. My bath time was spent in attempt to wash out the oil you put in my bottle. The only way to remove it is shampoo, which I don't have now, thanks to you. That's it. I'm done." She left the office and went downstairs. Confused, Laxus followed her, thinking he made her leave the guild in fury.

Unlike what he was thinking, she was still in the guild. "Gate of the Twins I open thee, Gemini!" The whole guild was looking at the mage and her two spirits. "Gemini, I want Laxus." One of the tiny blue spirits flew to Laxus, who was standing halfway down the staircase, and touched his arm.

And then Laxus remembered what the spirit did.

Running down, he saw a carbon copy of him standing next to Lucy. "Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail. Grandson to current Master of Fairy Tail, Makarov Dreyar. Possesses lightning dragon slayer magic. Interests include working out, listening to thunderstorms and playing the guitar."

"So, anyone wanna know anything about Laxus?" Her expression was as dark as her voice. The guild suddenly burst into suggestions. Lucy couldn't understand anything in the din, so she held up her hands. "Gemini, what does he think about me?" Everyone instantly shut up. Nobody wanted to miss this. Even Master was looking at the spirit with interest.

The actual Laxus blanched.

"Thoughts on Lucy Heartfilia- Celestial mage, intelligent, cheerful, beautiful, fiesty, helpful, loves to tease her to see her reactions, her growl is the sexiest sound he has ever heard, highly interested in her."

Lucy felt her face heat up. Laxus looked as though he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Master fell off the bar counter in shock, and Mira fainted behind it. Cana spluttered over her drink, and Erza didn't even realise that her cake had fallen from her fork.

Natsu was the first to recover. "Laxus, if you're interested, then you should know that Luce really likes you." Lucy wanted to strangle the salmon haired boy. "N-NATSU! I never said that!"

"What? You'll never tell him otherwise, and it's pretty obvious. Seriously, you never made cookies for me." Lucy quickly dismissed Gemini and made way to throttle his throat. But before she could even move, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw stormy blue eyes. "Is it true, Lucy?" He barely whispered the words.

She couldn't believe that her mouth betrayed her.

"Yes." She breathed out. He cupped her face and descended his lips over her's. After the shock went away, her eyes fluttered close. He deepened the kiss, and she complied.

It was utter bliss.

They broke apart when sudden hooting issued from the guild. Master Makarov began to cry. "Brats!" He said between sobs. "My grandson has found a woman ready to ignore the fact that he is a jerk! I never thought this day would come! A party is in order!"

The whole guild cheered, because apart from the fact that they were happy for Laxus and Lucy, a party meant free booze.

Laxus turned to Lucy. "Blondie, want to go and finish the paperwork? If we finish enough of it, we can go out for lunch tomorrow."

She looked up at his eyes. "Gladly."

* * *

 **Yeah, I decided I wanted this to be funny rather than sad.**

 **Fun Fact 1- Shifting all the furniture is actually a very good prank, my friend's sister did that to her once. She got a** _ **lot**_ **of snubbed toes. Hurts like hell.**

 **Fun Fact 2- Adding a** _ **hint**_ **of red chilli powder to chocolate cake actually makes it really tasty. It adds depth to the otherwise monotonous flavour. It's better to use old powder, because then it is less spicy, but it still gives the undertones. I speak from experience. Although till I tasted it I did think my mom was off her rocker.**

 **Fun Fact 3- Oiling the hair is a time tested method to make hair more lush and silky, and is something I do an hour before washing it. I especially recommend coconut oil.**

 **Hope you guys liked this one, because it will have a continuation in one of the next prompts! Not telling which, and also not telling its genre.**

 **By the time I am done with LaLu week, I want you guys laughing, squealing, crying, and feeling all hot and bothered at least. So, this stuff is really going to be a mixed bag of genres. You will never know what's coming next! Bwahahaha~**

 **Tomorrow's prompt- Tears**


	4. Heartbreak

**Author's Note- Hey guys! Hope you laughed enough yesterday, because it's time for some** _ **Tears**_ **.**

 **No, it's not. I just did that for the effect. This stuff is what I call the hurt/comfort and fluff category.**

 **I posted this earlier than usual because I have an exam tomorrow. I am just so shit scared, the grades of these exams will determine in which college I get into.**

 **It's a songfic. Hope you like it.**

 **The song-** _Tears by Clean Bandit feat. Louisa Johnson_

* * *

Day 3- _**Tears:**_ _Heartbreak_

* * *

 _I tried hard to make you want me_

 _But we're not supposed to be_

 _And the truth will always haunt me_

 _E_ _ven though it set me free_

* * *

Lucy could hear her heart shatter.

"Ah that's so great Juvia! Congratulations!" Mira said to the water mage as she clutched at the arm of the object of her affections. "Gray, what took you so long to say yes to the girl?"

The ice mage laughed. "Well, I had to take her out and get to know her properly." Lucy felt her body move on it's own accord as she went to the happy couple. "Congrats Juvia. Gray, you better take good care of her, okay?" She couldn't make herself look into his eyes, so she talked to Juvia instead. "Ah Mira, I am turning in for tonight."

"Lucy, it's afternoon." The barmaid looked at the celestial mage with concern. "I just want to focus on my novel in silence." At that the take over mage relaxed. "Of course, see you tomorrow!"

It felt as though liquid lead was infused in her veins as she walked. She could feel four set of eyes on herself, the only four who knew anything about this apart from him and her. Natsu made for her, but Gajeel stopped him. Lucy shot the iron dragonslayer a grateful glance.

Obviously the dragonslayers knew. They always knew when people were fucking each other.

It had been six months since Lucy and Gray had started sleeping together. It had been a hot day, and Lucy had been a little tipsy. Gray's cold temperature had done wonders while having sex, and they had both decided that they would like to do that again. They had cleared with each other that it was a friends with benefits situation, that falling in love is not an option. But somewhere between reaching the heights of pleasure with him, she had done it. She had fallen, hard. She had since then put more and more effort in the lovemaking, hoping against all hope that he would return her feelings.

But Juvia had gotten him in the end.

Technically now she should kill that treacherous part of her, squash it for making her love him in the first place. But she couldn't. She still loved him. Sighing, she got in her apartment. Her hand clutched at her shirt, just above her heart.

It hurt.

And then her vision blurred.

* * *

 _And my tears flow like the ocean_

 _As they floated in the breeze_

 _They were falling in slow motion_

 _And they brought me to my knees_

* * *

A single tear was teetherd to her eyelashes, and as it finally fell, so did she. She collapsed on the floor, on all fours, and the tears finally came through. Falling, thick and fast. Wetness flowing down her cheeks, dripping from her chin to the floor, running down her neck.

Her shoulders shook, her elbows buckled, but she didn't move. She couldn't move. Her body refused to follow her commands. No matter how many time she told it to get up, it didn't move. She ordered herself to stop crying, but the tears didn't stop. She commanded herself to stop hurting, but the pain didn't fade.

She pleaded with her heart to stop the torture, but it kept loving.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, all that existed was the cold, harsh floor as it leached all the heat of her body. She welcomed it, as it reminded her of Gray. The tears kept falling till her mind actually wondered- how hadn't she dehydrated by now?

She eventually got a grip on herself and carried her heavy body to the bathroom. Turning on the tap, she relished the feeling of the cold water as it numbed her hand. Splashing her face with it a few times, she stared at her reflection.

Her eyes were red; puffy and bloodshot. Even her nose was red and a little runny. Sighing, she left her bathroom and froze.

Gray was standing in front of her.

* * *

 _You're haunting me, taunting me all in my brain_

 _Turn off the light and now all that remains_

 _Fills me with doubt_

 _And I'm shouting your name out loud_

* * *

"Lucy." Her name left his lips as he bounded towards her. She didn't move, but she didn't stop him either.

His hands cupped her face, just as they had a thousand times before. And then his unnaturally cool lips crashed over her's. She desperately kissed him back, her mind stopped functioning. All that she knew was his cold touch, the one she craved every second.

Their lips moulded together, moving against each other with a fimilar pattern. Her hands slid into his hair as her tongue danced with his, and suddenly her brain started working overtime.

Had it been a dream?

Was he here for her?

Did he love her back?

And her mind answered her back, a soft and cold whisper which broke her down once again.

No.

She removed her hands from his hair and stopped kissing him. After a few tries to reign her back, Gray gave up and stepped back. She felt her lips curl into a smile despite her raging emotions.

"The man of the hour! I didn't congratulate you, did I?" His stared at her ironical smile, confused.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" At his question she couldn't help it. A laugh escaped her. "Wrong? Nothing really. Just, you know, everything." His brows furrowed the way she never failed to notice they did when he was thinking, hard. Suddenly realisation hit his features.

"Worked it out, have you?" His mouth pressed into a hard line. "Lucy, our agreement clearly stated that we are not dating."

* * *

 _Why do you wanna put me through the pain?_

 _I get the feeling I'll never escape_

 _I can't hide away from the shame of you_

* * *

Her smile dropped. "No it didn't. But Juvia doesn't have any agreement. So all the times you must have taken her out, you were also fucking me." His eyes blazed. "We weren't exclusive."

"You are now. Still you came to me." Fury coated his features. "You love me. That is what this is about. You think I didn't notice? Well, think again."

Lucy felt as though something had punched her. Not knowing about her feelings was one thing, but knowing and still sleeping with her meant one thing and one thing only. He was using her.

Her world came to a crashing halt around her. The pain in her heart returned, harder than before. The words had meant to hurt, laced with venom. His voice repeated in her head again and again, stuck in a loop.

He grabbed her wrist and started bringing his lips on her's again, but something stopped him. Lucy looked up to see the uncharacteristically hard eyes of her most powerful spirit. Leo glared at his friend, his hand on the ice mage's shoulder. "That's enough Gray. Go home."

Gray glared back. "This is not your business Loke. You go back." The spirit came in between them and shoved the ice mage away. "I am Leo, and you are hurting my master. Now, back OFF."

"So this is how it is. Fine, I'm going." He left her apartment, without so much as glancing her way. Just as he left, Lucy collapsed again, and Loke wrapped his arms around her. Watery sobs left her lips as the tears came back. "Shh, it's okay Lucy. He's gone now."

She couldn't bring herself to explain, to move, to do anything. She just cried as he held her, and eventually picked her up. Depositing her in her bed, he left the apartment.

Lucy wished to pain would leave too.

* * *

 _Tears on the ground_

 _Tears on my pillow_

* * *

And Lucy cried. She let the sobs wreak her body as her mind vented it's pain. But no matter how much she tried, the tears didn't stop and the hurt didn't leave. She pulled at her hair; the physical pain was numbing the ache of her heart.

Images flashed in her mind. Gray combing through her hair with his fingers. Juvia clinging to his arm. The moonlight highlighting the scar just above his eyebrow. His soft smile as he sneaked a glance at Juvia when the water mage wasn't looking.

The last image her mind assaulted her with was Gray sleeping next to her before she knew no more.

* * *

 _You won't bring me down_

 _And I'll get over you_

* * *

Lucy woke up to the delicious smell of frying pancakes. For a moment she just let herself be, lying on her bed with the light streaming through the window and the sweet scent filling her senses, then her mind reminded her why her face was caked with dry tears, why her throat was raw and sore.

Gray was with Juvia.

Getting out of her bed, she bounded to her bathroom. It was halfway through brushing her teeth that she realised- someone was in her house and was cooking pancakes. Running to her kitchen with the brush still in her mouth, she stared at the hulking figure in amazement and horror.

Laxus fucking Dreyar was in her apartment flipping pancakes.

Furiously removing the toothbrush from her mouth, she spat out, "Lafsus gef owf!" He ignored her and she ran to her bathroom, spit out the toothpaste, and came barreling back. "I said, get out! What are you even doing here?" The man kept ignoring her, and calmly set two plates on her table. Quickly sliding pancakes on each plate, he sat down and started eating.

Enraged at being ignored, she sat down in front of him and snatched the plate from which he was eating. "The hell Blondie! I was eating." She glared at him. "What are you doing in my apartment?" The question came out as a hiss. He glared back, and made a grab for the plate. "I won't tell you till you give me back that plate." Suspicions, she slowly slid the plate back and Laxus resumed stuffing his face. He didn't speak till his plate was wiped clean. "Eat what's in your plate Blondie. You look like shit."

"Not till you tell me why you are here." He sighed, and an exasperated expression on his face. "Playboy pleaded with me to come and check up on you." Lucy stared at him, surprised. "Why did Loke come to you?"

"Apart from you and Gray, the only people who know about your 'situation' are the four dragon slayers. Natsu would have simply gone and beat the shit out of Gray, same for Gajeel. They are already planning to, by the way. Wendy is too young." Lucy could follow the reasoning, but she didn't like it. "I can take care of myself." At that he scoffed. "Yeah, your face is puffy from the excess crying you have done, the place smells of tears. From the looks of it, you even managed to hurt yourself, because I can definitely smell blood."

Lucy looked at him, confused. She didn't hurt at all, so why did she smell of blood? Realisation dawned on her and she ran for her bathroom. She had totally forgotten to check the date, thanks to her misery. She returned to her table with a red face, but was surprised to see that Laxus was also looking bashful. Great, he worked to out too.

He cleared his throat. "You gonna eat that or do I have to forcefully stuff it inside you?" She picked up a fork and started feeding herself. "Good." They sat there in silence as she finished her breakfast. At the end she commented, "I didn't know that dragon slayers can cook." He snorted.

"Natsu is the only disaster in the kitchen. Unlike him, I like to feed myself without depending on others. And Gajeel can whip up the most amazing dishes, although nobody apart from the Fairy Tail team B knows that." An image of Gajeel stirring a pot of broth in a flowery pink apron popped up in her mind and she started giggling. " What's so funny?"

"Imagine Gajeel roaming about the guild kitchen in girly apron." His face blanked, as though he was actually imagining that, and then he gave a burst of laughter. His fangs gleamed as he smirked. "You have a good sense of humour, Blondie. I like it."

"You're blond too. Seriously, the nicknames I get are never imaginative." She deadpanned. If anything, his smirk widened. "You want me to call you cosplayer?" At that her face contorted in disgust. "No, please by all means call me Blondie. One person calling me that is enough."

* * *

 _These tears will get me through_

 _And I'll get over you_

* * *

"I thought so, now you done or do you want more?" Her lips curved into a smile at Laxus's concern. Seeing her, she shot her a grin of his own. "That's my girl. You don't need Gray to live."

At his name, her eyes stung once again. But she managed to blink back the tears as she declined him. He practically shoved her into her bathroom with her clothes, and then forcefully took her to the guild. It felt to her as though he was trying to show her that the world hadn't ended.

She hoped that he would succeed in that.

Everyone stared at them in shock as they entered the guild together. Everyone except the three dragon slayers. While Laxus went back to his floor, Lucy went to the bar. "Hey Mira, can I get a shake?"

"Coming right up Lucy." She was nervous now. All the bravado she had acquired when Laxus had made her smile was gone now, and all that remained was hurt and fear. Mira slid her customary shake under her nose. "So Lucy, you and Laxus huh?" She stared at the woman in confusion, and then realised where she was getting at. "No Mira! We just met on the way! It's nothing like that!" She thanked the gods that Natsu came barreling towards her, successfully distracting Mira. "Yo Mira, I'll have one fiery chicken!"

"Okay Natsu." And then she went back to the kitchen. "Hey Luce! I was ho- wait, why do you smell of salt?" His expression turned from his usual goofy one to something serious. Even his voice lowered, barely a whisper. "It's Gray, isn't it? He hurt you?" She shook her head fervently, because she didn't want him to hurt Gray.

Her heart refused to leave him.

* * *

 _When did you lose your emotion?_

 _When did you become so cruel?_

 _And if you want to cut me open_

 _Says a thousands words 'bout you_

* * *

She heard a deep laugh resound in the guild, a laugh which still made her stomach lurch. Turning, she saw Gray enter the guild hall with Juvia, hand in hand. Juvia looked like she was in heaven, and Gray smiled at her. At least, he was smiling at her till his gaze met Lucy's. Smirking, he approached the bar just as Mira came out with Natsu's chicken.

"Hey Mira." The barmaid beamed at him. "Hey Gray! My, Juvia looks dressed up, you guys going somewhere?" Lucy stared at her milkshake, one hand discreetly grabbing Natsu's sleeve to prevent him from doing anything. "Yes we are. Did you know that Juvia had never been on a date before I took her?"

Lucy felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was a jab at her. She had once been complaining to Gray about how she has never gone on a proper date. That day, he had comforted her that her entire life was ahead of her and that the day would come. Now, his eyes were as cold as his magic.

Natsu wrenched himself from her grasp and lunged for the ice mage, fury evident on his face. But before he could even touch Gray, a blast of lightening blew them both apart. Natsu landed on one side of the guild, crashing into some tables and barely escaping the request board, while Gray landed on the other side. Juvia instantly ran to his side, and Lisanna to Natsu's side.

Laxus came in front of the bar in another blast of lightening. He turned to face Gray, looking just as furious as Natsu. Lucy ran to stop him, because she couldn't bear seeing Gray hurt like that, but Laxus shrugged off her hand. "Gray," his voice was laced with venom, "I didn't think you will be like this. Leave the matter alone, or you'll regret it. It is a promise of all the dragon slayers present here. I am sure you guys have no problem with that?" At that Lucy saw his gaze wander to all the slayers.

Natsu was standing now, his eyes murderous. Lisanna was barely restraining him. He glanced at Laxus when he asked the dragon slayers, and bared his fangs in a snarl. Gajeel was sitting in his corner as usual, but he cracked his knuckles when the lightning dragon slayer looked at him. Even Wendy, who had been running to Gray to check if he had been hurt, nodded, her eyes flashing with resolve.

* * *

 _And in time I know you'll leave me_

 _Like a distant memory_

 _I know love can be so easy_

 _If I start by loving me_

* * *

And for the first time since she had heard Juvia announce her relationship to the guild, she felt something stir in between the pain. It was something she couldn't name at the moment, but she knew it was a positive emotion.

She was not alone. She had friends, friends who were more than willing to help her and fight alongside her. At that thought a ghost of a smile played at her lips. Laxus must have seen it, because he was actually smiling for once. Natsu had his toothy grin back in place, and Gajeel was smirking. Before going to check on Natsu, Wendy gave Lucy a soft, but firm, smile.

The whole guild was silent, curious. But when the dragon slayers continued acting as though nothing had happened, they broke up into their usual chatter. Nobody knew about Lucy's involvement, from an outsiders viewpoint it looked like the disagreement was between Gray and Natsu.

After a disgruntled Gray had been led off by Juvia, Laxus came to Lucy. "Blondie, come with me." Lucy looked at him curiously, but complied. As he left the guild, she followed. Once outside, she inquired. "What is it Laxus?" He didn't turn and kept walking.

"You haven't been on a date. We need to change that." The shock of the statement made her stop dead in her tracks, gaping at the man in front of her. "What?" He finally turned to see her, his expression quizzical. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

"That's not what I meant. Y-You don't need to do this Laxus. It's fine." He frowned at her, his brows scrunching together. "I know I don't need to do this. Now, stop talking and come with me."

* * *

 _Tears on the ground_

 _Rain at my window_

 _The pain washes out_

* * *

Lucy stretched in her bed, her stiff joints popping. Appreciatively, she have a content sigh. Turning, she faced the man next to her. His stormy blue eyes were open and looking back at her. A finger idly traced the scar under his eye.

"Hey Laxus." His chapped lips curved into a soft smile. "Hey Lucy."

It had been three months since he had forced her to go on a date with him, the first of her life. He had taken her go a café and basically given her a free reign on the orders. "Surprise me' he had said.

And surprised him she had done ordering a coffee tiramisu. They had spent the time in idle talk, retelling stories of their job and their memorable events. Lucy had found Laxus to be great company- polite, easygoing and actually interested. So when he had deposited her back in her apartment and asked for a next date, she had agreed readily.

The nights kept haunting her, but every morning she found him in her apartment, making breakfast. She didn't even register the first night she had simply crawled in her bed and gone off to sleep, without shedding a single tear.

Lucy accompanied the Thunder Legion and Laxus on jobs, Team Natsu was on a temporary hiatus. Gray went with Juvia and Erza had taken Wendy under her wing. Natsu and Happy still went with her sometimes, but they went with Lisanna too.

Lucy found that she could look at Gray again, without letting rough waves of emotions sink her to oblivion. Even he talked to her normally, their easygoing banter back to normal as it had been before they had touched each other.

Somewhere between going on dates with him and their snarky banter during breakfast, Laxus had crept up on her. Apparently he had promised Loke he would keep her company till he was satisfied she was fine. But that didn't include taking her out.

"Hey, I was wondering," she said to the man in her bed, "why did you take me out in the first place?" He was looking deep in thought. "I don't know. First I took you because you hadn't been on a date. But I enjoyed it, a lot. So I decided to take you out again."

He desended his lips on her's, and she responded eagerly. Breaking the contact, she started to get out of bed. "Go brush. Your breath is worse than Cobra's. I thought girls were supposed to have good breath Blondie."

"Fuck you." He smirked at her. "How hard?" She glared at him, but ended cracking up as she went to the bathroom. The muscles in her thighs burned in agony thanks to the their activities the night before. As she found out, Laxus was merciless, not that she minded.

"French Toast for breakfast today, reward for your outstanding performance last night." He shouted across the kitchen to the bathroom. She laughed and returned the gesture. "I'll help you cook, reward for _your_ excellent performance."

* * *

 _I'll get over you_

* * *

 **It's a lovely song, and it has an equally awesome video! I suggest you guys check it out. I didn't repeat the chorus of the song though, the song is a little different.**

 **So, I hope you guys liked it. Sad, wasn't it?**

 **...was it? I hope it was XD**

 **It's creepy how easily I could channel broken hearted Lucy through me. It was as though I was hurting too.**

 **The moment I read the name of this prompt, the song popped up in my head. It was** _ **perfect.**_ **The pieces clicked in place instantly. This was actually the first prompt I wrote.**

 **Tomorrow's prompt-** _ **Protect**_

 _ **Update: I am really sorry guys, but there was a mistake that just had to be corrected. Really sorry for the extra message you guys got.**_


	5. Mating Instincts

**Author's Note- Omg thank you guys! Your reviews make my day! Ahhh~**

 **Talking about reviews, I have to tell you this dragonlady98, I saw your review for Tears. And something in me broke, I am sure of it. I laughed way too hard. God, I don't think you meant it to be funny (or did you?) but I laughed anyway. I don't know what happened. I also don't know why it happened. No, I do. Your NaLu/GraLu comment left me in hysterics, something I am sure you weren't expecting. But here we are.**

 **About your comment though, I don't think NaLu is capable of being broken. Either it is bittersweet and one sided, or it is successful. It's not the type that shatters you into pieces. But GraLu does. At least, that's my personal opinion.**

 **This one is for you deltacaraman! I hope this is the type of stuff you were talking about when you said that you like Laxus to lose his shit!**

* * *

Day 4- _**Protect:**_ _Mating Instincts_

* * *

"LAXUS!"

She didn't know why she had called for him, but she knew he heard her, she could feel it in her marrow.

A part of her brain, some part not crunched by the intense pain, was musing over the possible reasons because of which she had called his name. One stood out in particular, but she found it fantastical. Although, it was appealing.

And then she heard it.

"LUCY!"

* * *

Lucy sighed as she stared at the request board. She was short on money for rent again, but there was no good job. She didn't feel up to taking a fighting job alone, and Natsu was not here since he had gone on a job with just Happy. They had wanted to bond again. Erza was on a mission for Master, so that was a bust too. Gray was out of question, she didn't want to be on the receiving end of a murderous fit by Juvia.

Her mind wondered what it would feel like, to have her life not being dictated by the constant flow of currency, done to keep a roof over her head, but she squashed those thoughts. She needed a job, quick. But there was nothing. Defeated, she left the board, and something collided into her.

"Nat- oh. Sorry Bickslow. I didn't see where I was going." She had been so lost in her rent calculations that she didn't even notice she had bumped into the seith mage, who was standing at the Thunder Legion's table. All the occupants of the table looked at her curiously, and she realised that her posture was showing her defeat. Standing straighter, she looked back at them.

Evergreen bit the bullet. "What's wrong Lucy? Something bothering you?" Her concerned, maternal tone reminded Lucy of her own mother and she gave in. "It's my rent! It's due, but no one is free! And there is no good job for a solo!" Evergreen held her arms out for the sobbing girl, and Lucy instantly latched herself to her.

Behind her, Bickslow and Freed exchanged glances. Eventually Lucy dislodged herself from Evergreen and apologized profusely. Evergreen swatted all apologies aside easily. "Lucy, if you want you can come with us."

Lucy couldn't believe it. Her eyes grew wide at the offer by the female, shocked. "Wouldn't Laxus mind?" At that she scoffed. "Of course not! Just come to the train station at nine! We'll see you then."

* * *

As it turned out, Laxus did mind. He minded a lot. Too much, really. But he didn't tell Evergreen that. He knew that Ever was dying to make a female friend in the guild. Even before the Fantasia stunt, Ever didn't get along with other girls well, and after that they were too scared to approach her.

He had done his research. Hell, he had gone to Natsu and Gajeel for help. There was no escaping it.

It had all gone down a month ago. He had been in the guild, sitting downstairs for once. And then Natsu and his band of crazies had come barreling inside, back from a job. Lucy had been pissed at the fire dragon slayer, because in the course of defeating a bunch of bandits, he had managed to level a whole row of buildings, which had resulted in no pay.

She had been sitting at the bar, fuming, when Natsu asked her what was wrong. She bursted in a fit of anger. Her cheeks pink, her chest heaving heavily, her breathing coming in pants. Her eyes were burning with rage, their intensity disarming Laxus. When she brought out her whip, and used it as though it was an extension of her arm, it was all over. It was as though she was glowing, the rest of the guild faded into the background. All that existed was her, in all of her deadly glory.

She was the light to his darkness.

His mind went on and on about her, bringing out in him the sap he didn't even know existed. After that, whenever he looked at her, his throat ran dry. Since that day all he had done was either brood on the second floor, or spent his time in the guild's library, researching on the strange phenomenon.

Feeling something was off, he had finally caved in and gone to Natsu. He knew the blonde best. Maybe this was a common side effect of her magic or something? But after hearing everything, Natsu had donned an unusually serious expression and dragged him in a corner with Gajeel. And then the cat had been let out of the bag.

All dragons had mates, and dragon slayers were no exception. Every dragon found their mate differently. You could know your mate for years, but the day your soul recognised them, everything would change. Gajeel had actually given a personal experience. Apparently he and Levy had become friends, but it was a day when she had been really engrossed in a book that he had seen it. It had been as though a choir of angels had been singing behind her.

Laxus was forced to admit his feelings when Gajeel went into such detail.

But even after that he had continued brooding, and eventually the Thunder Legion confronted him. He didn't tell him everything, just enough so that they would get off his back. He told them that he had found out that all dragon slayers had a mate, and that he thought he has found his. They knew not to pester him about who it is, and so they just convinced him to go on a job with them.

Tomorrow. The job on which Ever ended up inviting the reason he was going away from the guild.

Laxus was screwed.

* * *

"Hey Freed! Are the rest here?" Lucy reached the station at exactly nine. The only person she saw there was the rune mage. "Hello Lucy. No, the others are not here. Bickslow and Evergreen are not exactly morning people, and Laxus-sama always comes late for train journeys." She and Freed talked about the job for some time, and Lucy got to know exactly what it was.

Apparently a dark guild was wreaking havoc in many towns, looking for something which they didn't know yet, and they were to defeat them. Obviously Laxus was an S-Class mage, why would he go on a normal job?

By the time the rest of the Thunder Legion came, Lucy was shaking like a leaf. She was scared, very. The last time she had gone on an S-Class quest, it hadn't fared too well. Sure, they had managed to do the job, but after a lot of hicups and near death experiences.

Just when she was thinking of backing out, Laxus made an appearance and they were ushered into the train by Evergreen. Perks of travelling with them included, and were not limited to, having two compartments, first class at that. Apparently Laxus always liked to stay alone during train journeys and so the rest of the Thunder Legion stayed in the other compartment.

Lucy found out that with Bickslow's totems hovering around, four people were too much for a single compartment. Saying that she was going to find whether another compartment was free or not, she quickly left them. But just as she was about to start her search, Laxus's door banged open.

"Just come here. You'll spend the entire journey looking."

She apprehensively entered his compartment. He was sitting poker straight on one side, his coat for once not draped over his shoulders. It was lying next to him on the seat. Quickly shutting the door, she sat down on the other side. "Thank you. I'm sorry for intruding like this."

"Tch, you apologise too damn much. Even in the guild, half the time you are apologising." At that she glared at him and a smirk spread across his face. "That's much better." Then the train lurched and the smirk vanished. Maybe she was just used to seeing Natsu in trains, but she fancied that his face seemed a shade greener than before.

He pulled up his sound pods to his ears and closed his eyes. Making sure he wasn't looking by peeking from the corner of her eyes, she turned to observe him. She had never really seen him this up close, and now that she could, she would.

He was definitely green, she was sure of it. His skin was glistening with sweat. Not that she minded. Oh, Lucy didn't mind that at all. Without his coat, his muscles were fully visible. Ripped arms, defined chest, strong shoulders. Lucy could just look at them all day and still be amazed. His chiseled jawline was practically begging her to lick it. She had yet to see a better example of the male physique.

Lucy spent the rest of the train journey alternating from ogling the man in front of her and daydreaming about said man. She was excessively grateful when they finally reached their destination.

She might have ended up doing something she would have regretted.

The train had barely stopped and Laxus was on his feet, dying to leave the death trap. Quickly getting off, he stood and waited for the rest of his team. He would never let anyone know that he too suffered from motion sickness, and was eternally grateful that his case wasn't as bad as Natsu's. That would have been hard to cover up. And plain torture, might he add.

The ability to perform normal thought processes went out the window for Laxus when he caught a particular scent. Sweet, irresistibly so. It was what he associated with Lucy, ramped up tenfold. And it had a musky undertone, one he was intimately familiar with. Arousal.

He turned to see her descend the train, and his legs ran to assist her before he could think. He grabbed her by her waist and placed her on the ground. She looked exactly as shocked as he felt inside. Did he just do that?

"Um, thanks Laxus. I could have done it though." Her voice was soft, and dazed. Suddenly he realised that he hadn't let go of her waist. From the looks of it, so had she. Her cheeks were a pale pink. And then her arousal hit him squarely in the face.

It took everything he had to stop himself from fucking her raw right then and there. He let go of her and wedrew his hands. Maybe he was seeing what he wanted to see, but did she look disappointed at the loss of contact?

Hearing a snigger, he looked up to see the three members of the Thunder Legion hanging from the door of the train, staring at them. Sending a glare in their direction seemed to do the trick. Freed quickly ushered them out of the train.

* * *

They were sitting in an inn, forming a game plan to take out the guild. The information given to them by the Mayor of the town was laid about. Freed was the one making the actual plan, with the rest chipping in. Lucy couldn't help but compare this to how Erza would simply tell them a little below average plan, and how eventually everything would go to hell anyway because of mostly Natsu or sometimes Gray, and half the time both.

Freed's plan was good, and he was taking into consideration everything being said by his team. Maybe that is why their team was so successful.

She was so lost in thought about this, and the fact that her brain was also strategizing, that she didn't notice when Freed asked her opinion on the plan. Evergreen poked her, which made her screech in shock and Laxus to curse. "Tone it down Blondie."

Lucy had expected a lot worse from the lightning dragon slayer. "So Lucy, what do you think of the plan?" Freed asked her. "It's good." It really was. Freed and Lucy attacked from the front lines, and Bickslow and Evergreen take them from the other side. Laxus, with his lighting teleportation, could corner the Master, who was rumoured to be powerful.

But it had it's flaws. Freed's magic was best applied when he had time to lay the traps around. Evergreen was not the total combat type. It left a lot to chance. Sure, it was infinitely better than Team Natsu's charge and shoot at random, but it could be better.

Laxus must have somehow understood that she wasn't completely satisfied. "But you have an even better one Blondie. Right?" She gave him a puzzled look, to which he raised an eyebrow. "You've been staring at the guild's layout for some time now." She sighed. "I am not sure, because obviously you guys know each other's magic better than I do."

To her surprise, everyone encouraged her to tell them her plan. "Well, I was thinking, why not have Evergreen and Laxus take the entrance, create a big enough distraction for me and Freed to sneak in from the back door. He can lay down some rune traps while I defend him. My spirits can start attacking from behind. Bickslow can come from the side door, and push the crowd to Laxus. He can take them on easily, and anyway he won't be alone." Lucy was on a roll now, never actually having an opportunity to voice the multiple tactics she made during every job.

"Evergreen's magic needs her to be with the hardest hitter, because if she misses, it's still under control. Bickslow can cause enough destruction to scare away people, and obviously his magic is enough for him to operate marginally alone. Which he won't, since he'll be fighting with Loke. I'll get out Sagittarius to take out the people from the second floor and the rafters. And I always have my Fleuve d'etoiles, so I'll be any to defend Freed till he makes the traps. They will be more productive to us, since otherwise we will end up expending unnecessary energy trying to prevent beaten mages from escaping. Then, once me and Freed are done, we will come and Laxus can go to confront the guild master." A tense silence followed her words, and she grew nervous. Was it a bad plan?

Eventually Laxus cleared his throat. "Tell me one thing," he said, staring straight into her eyes, "how is it that even with such a great strategist Team Natsu managed to leave such destruction in its wake?" She flushed at the compliment. "I-I don't make the plans. E-Erza does."

"Why? I speak from personal experience when I say that she makes mediocre strategies at best. So, why do you let her make them?" Freed said. Her jaw felt loose. "Um, ah, she doesn't, um, listen?" Bickslow started laughing. "I told her, she is not deserving of the title of the Queen of the Fairies." Evergreen pushed her glasses up her nose.

Freed gave her a smile. "Your plan is better than mine, seems like you understand everyone more than you let on. We will follow it."

And try to follow it they did. It's just that sometimes unknown factors can mess up even the most beautifully laid strategies.

* * *

Evergreen and Laxus barged in the guild and started their charge. Just like Lucy predicted, they attracted majority of the attention. Bickslow and Loke, who she had summoned before they had gone inside, were rounding up the rest. It was clear that the Fairy Tail mages were wiping the floor with the mediocre members of the dark guild. Just as Freed started laying the first trap, Lucy decided it was time to summon Sagittarius.

"Gate of the Archer I op-"

And that is when everything went to hell.

"Look! A celestial spirit mage!" The fighting seized instantly, and every eye turned to Lucy, who had stopped mid sentence. Suddenly, a hand wrapped itself around her throat, and another snaked itself around her waist. Lucy was trapped by a person. From the hands, she could make a safe guess that it was a male. Where had he come from?

Her suspicion was confirmed when the man started speaking. "Move, and she dies." His voice was as deep as Laxus's, but it had none of his warmth.

"Fine, we won't do anything. Now leave her." Lucy couldn't understand, why wasn't anyone attacking this man? Maybe he was pointing something at her? A knife? Gun? "Well, I do need her. So, no I won't leave her."

"Why her?" It was Freed. "I am not about to reveal my plans to you, but let's say that we have found what we were looking for. We are not after her though, if that's what you are concerned about. Not her _particularly_." What they are looking for? She had been fine till she had tried to summon Sagittarius. Till she had been identified as a celestial spirit mage.

Her keys.

She locked her eyes with Laxus, the only person she could hope will get it. His eyes were wild, his expression desperate. Why? She didn't have time to ponder on it.

She would have tried Loke, but he wouldn't let he do it. Her hand slowly inched towards her belt, so that the man holding her wouldn't notice. Her fingers fiddled with the ring, and she quickly detached it. Looking at Laxus again, she mouthed to him soundlessly. Realisation hit his eyes. That's all she needed.

She tried to elbow the man, who started chuckling. "Well, you're a wild one. That's our que to leave." Then her stomach started churning, and she let go of her keys.

And she was gone with the man holding her.

Freed, who had been standing just next to her, caught her keys as they fell, just as Lucy vanished. The frozen dark guild members tried to scram, but the Fairy Tail mages quickly sqaushed them. Laxus and Loke in particular were on a rampage, beating the mages down mercilessly. When all of them were either knocked out or tied up, the team regrouped.

"How are you still here Loke?" Evergreen asked the Lion spirit. "Lucy can still provide me magic, even if she isn't here. But that doesn't matter, I transferred to my own magic." Laxus looked ready to blow up. "Let's ask them where their precious guild master is." Everyone agreed. Loke grabbed the collar of one mage. "Where is your guild master?" The man laughed. "I will never tell you."

"Move aside." Loke glared at the dragon slayer, but moved after seeing his expression. Grabbing the same mage, he lifted him in the air as though he were a rag doll. "Where. Is. Your. Motherfucking. Master?" The man looked scared, but shook his head. Without further thought, Laxus threw him to the wall in front of them and picked up the next mage.

Laxus felt like shit. He had let Lucy be captured, and now he didn't know where she was. He had been thinking of telling her about the mate business, but how could he ask her to date him when he couldn't even protect her?

Why had the mages wanted her anyway? Hadn't they been looking for something all this while? That is the information the Mayor had given them. A memory resurfaced, and he dropped the mage in his hands.

Lucy had mouthed him the answer to that question. She had worked it out in the seconds she had been captured. Deep inside him, his respect for her intelligence grew even more.

He had wanted Lucy, yet he didn't need her particularly. He needed her keys.

"Keys! Her keys, that's what he wanted!" At that Loke growled, and Freed exclaimed. "That explains a lot. Lucy detached her keys from her person and let them fall just as she was teleported away."

"WHAT?!" Loke roared. "She doesn't have her keys?!" Laxus picked up the man again. "Why do you need Gate Keys?" He looked scared now that they had figured out some of their plan. "W-We need the energy. When the keys are broken. It gives out a lot of energy."

"She left her keys to protect us." Loke collapsed on the floor, trembling. "Lucy, why are you always sacrificing yourself for us?!" Bickslow placed his hand on the spirits shoulder. "Cosplayer will be fine. We will find her and bring her back. And you know it would break her if anything happened to you guys."

Loke got up and everyone started interogating the mages. Eventually there was only one conscious mage left, and all five rounded up in him. "H-He's in the guild hideout! It's just one kilometre ahead! Black building, has a out of service sign! P-Please spare me!" Loke knocked the guy out.

Laxus turned to leave, but the rest stopped him. "Laxus-sama, we need a plan of attack before going."

* * *

When Lucy opened her eyes, she found herself in a different place than before. The man released his hold on her, and she whipped around to face him. He was tall, but not as tall as Laxus. His build was similar to Laxus, but again it was less muscular than him. Black hair sticking out everywhere, cold, harsh icy eyes. A hard, cruel grin spread across the thin gash that was his mouth. A long scar was running horizontal to his neck. He was holding a magic gun in his hand. He was examining her just as she was him.

"You don't know how long I have been looking for you. Any celestial mage with gold keys would have done it, but you are the one I had wanted. I had heard of a celestial spirit mage in one of the legal guilds with ten gold keys under her command. That's who I wanted, and it seems like you are it. I researched that right now, there are only two well known celestial mages, and one is in prison." His hand grabbed her face, thumbs and fingers pressing into her cheeks, and forced her to look right into his eyes. "Where are your keys dear?"

Working up a mouthful of salvia, she spit in his face. "I'll die before I give you my keys." His smirk transformed to a sinister expression and he wiped the fluid from his face. "Fiesty, aren't you? Don't worry, I'll break you soon enough. What's this?" His hands went for her whip, and she tried to move away. To her shock she found she couldn't move.

He detached the whip from her side, and activated it. How he did it, she didn't know. He quickly wrapped it around her wrist, and sent her flying into a wall, hitting her side. The impact made a cracking sound, and the pain that Lucy felt from her ribs meant a fracture. "Oh, this is a fun toy! I'll definitely be keeping this." He came towards her, and she tried to scramble away. She crawled and stopped when her back hit the wall. She was cornered. "Now dear, where are you keys?"

"I-I'll never give them to you." He cracked the whip at her again, and she felt the skin on her forearm split open. "Keys, darling." She looked up and glared at the man. "Over my dead body." He gave her a dark grin. "I would prefer having you alive, I am not really into necrophilia." It was this statement, the insinuation of raping her, that filled her with disgust and rage.

"Touch me and I'll bite. I don't think you have realised what guild I am from." He looked at her curiously, and his gaze rested on her hand, his eyes wide. "Yes, and I am sure you are well aware of Fairy Tail's reputation. You'll be alive, definitely. But don't ever hope to be fine by the time they are done with you. I am part of their family, and they will stop at nothing to find you and tear you apart."

Rage contorted his features, and he brought her whip crashing down on her. Again. And again. "Shut up, you bitch! Maybe I should sew up that pretty mouth of yours." She tried to muffle her cries of pain, but when the whip hit her broken rib, she screamed out.

"LAXUS!"

* * *

"You want a plan? Here's a plan- attack."

Laxus had never felt such fury and dread, ever. The idea of Lucy being someone's captive was breaking him from the inside. All he wanted to do was find that bastard and tear him apart, one limb at a time. He had smelled the lust in him as he had pressed Lucy against himself, and he knew what appendage he would started with.

Lucy was his and his alone. Just the thought of her being with another man got him itching to punch that man, and the idea of someone touching her without her consent? Plain old murder sounded too simple.

His very being was revolting against him as he stood there, the lacrima was out for blood. So who was he to refuse?

"Are you coming or not?" Everyone was staring at him as though he had gone off the deep end. Maybe he really had. He was beyond caring. All he wanted was Lucy in his arms, safe and sound. That is the only thing that would sate the dragon inside him, and it frankly sounded pretty great. "Laxus, I get it that you are worried about her. But we don't know anything about him. How're we supposed so save her if we ourselves get trapped?" It was Loke.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I FUCKING CARE?!" Laxus was losing it. "I'll save her if it's the last thing I do! Now, are you all coming or not?" Everyone exchanged surprised looks and nodded. "Good." Laxus grumbled before running towards the place with the headquarters.

The rest of them followed, zapped and scared. It and been a long time since Laxus had lost his temper like this. And he had never done it over a girl.

They had quickly reached the building, and were about to break in when Laxus heard a sound that chilled his body.

"LAXUS!"

It was a scream of hurt; pure, unadulterated pain. Terrified at what was making his mate scream like that, he shouted out her name.

Quickly teleporting himself inside, he reached directly behind the guild master. Before his hand could descend, he caught it. Lucy was sprawled out on the floor, her back being supported by the wall. Deep gashes of her whip were across her arms and exposed abdomen. Her posture told him that her ribs were bruised, maybe even broken.

"Wha-" the man spoke out when Laxus stopped his arm. Before he could saw anything, Laxus wrenched the whip from his grasp and sent him straight into a wall on the side. "L-Laxus! He has immobilising magic!" Lucy's voice was a cracking, and low. She could barely speak anything.

He was torn between running to Lucy and punishing the man for hurting her. In the end his dragon won, and he went to Lucy. Just then the rest came up, and Loke ran to kick the man, who was collapsed on one side. Evergreen and Freed came to Lucy, while Bickslow joined Loke.

As it turned out, his magic didn't work on celestial spirits and Loke beat the shit out of him.

Laxus picked up the celestial mage in his arms. "Lucy, are you okay?" Laxus wanted to punch himself for the stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay! "T-Thank you Laxus. For saving me. For protecting my spirits." And she fainted.

"I'm going back to the guild, you guys can manage here." It wasn't a question, and his team members didn't take it as one. Freed nodded, and Ever pushed back some hair from Lucy's face.

Laxus teleported himself away, and nearly collapsed at the strain of carrying another person to such a large distance. When he opened his eyes, he was on a table in the guild hall. "Wendy! Come here!" He quickly, but softly, placed Lucy on the table. Soon the sky dragon slayer was here, and thankfully she didn't ask questions.

She set about working on Lucy, and Laxus watched in wonder as the gashes started closing themselves. Her abdomen returned to its original shape, and the bruise on her cheek also started fading. As the full exhaustion of teleporting hit Laxus, he let himself collapse on a bench.

People had started gathering, curious about the sudden appreance. Wendy let her arms fall to her sides and took a deep breath. "She had multiple, deep cuts, two broken ribs and a dislocated vertebrae. Laxus, what happened?"

"She was captured by the guild master of the dark guild we were fighting. He wanted her keys, but she worked that out and left her keys when he teleported her out. He must have tried to torture her to get them." He felt terrible. He had failed her. "He used her whip to do that." He added, and Wendy gasped.

Apparently Natsu was back, because he came running. "What happened to Luce?" Laxus couldn't retell the incidents, but Wendy seemed to understand that because she relayed everything to Natsu.

Laxus had expected Natsu to be pissed at him, and was surprised to see him grin. "You saved her, that's great. Luce would be happy that you helped her protect her spirits." Laxus stared at his fellow dragon slayer in shock. "To Lucy, nothing is more important in the world than her spirits. If she protected them, believe me she's happy."

Just then a faint moan came from Lucy's lips, and everyone looked at her as she came to. Sitting up, she winced and stretched heself. Laxus couldn't help but stare at the way her chest bounced, and at the way her back bended.

She opened her eyes, and looked surprised. "How long was I out?" Natsu laughed. "Just an hour. Laxus here got you to the guild so that Wendy could help you." She got down from the table and hugged the sky dragon slayer. "You're awesome Wendy! Thanks!" The dragon slayer returned the hug with enthusiasm.

She turned to Laxus. "Thank you so much Laxus. Really, I am so happy that my spirits are safe. Where are my keys though?" As if on cue, Loke appeared in a burst of light behind her. "Here, Princess." She quickly thanked the spirit and merrily placed the ring back in her belt.

"So Laxus, what prompted your behaviour there?" Laxus glared at Loke, who was smirking. "Ah, I should go now! Bye my love!" Lucy looked at him curiously. "What was he talking about Laxus?"

He knew he was trapped. This was it. Clearing his throat, he gave Natsu a pointed look. To his surprise, and relife, the fire dragon slayer understood the meaning and grabbed Wendy's hand. "Let's go and eat something!"

They were alone, and after a glare at the eavesdropping guild members they hastily retreated. "I'm sorry. We got you into trouble." She stared at him, and then cracked a smile which made his heart skip a beat. "Laxus, it's fine. It was my choice to accompany you guys, and you couldn't have done anything about him capturing you anyway. I am very grateful that you saved me. Thank you." She continued smiling at him, and he had to turn to make sure she didn't see his blush.

"So, um, Blo- Lucy." Her eyes widened at the mention of her name, but otherwise she didn't do anything. "Yes Laxus."

He was sweating. He couldn't believe it. "Yeah, um, do you know about dragon mating?" She gave him a curious look. "Yes, Levy told me. Wh- oh. You've found your mate, haven't you?" He grimaced. She was too quick witted. "Yes, I have." She looked fascinated. "Who is it?"

 _Laxus, this is the one. Man up. You can do it._

"Y-You." Laxus cursed himself for stuttering. Lucy's eyes widened till they were like saucers. A faint blush crept up her cheeks. Laxus positively melted into goo at the cute look. "M-Me?!" Her voice was squeaky, nervous.

"Yeah." An idea popped up in his head. "Look, forget I said anything. Would you like to go out for some lunch with me tomorrow?" She blushed heavily before a soft smile spread across her lips.

"I would love that Laxus." He nodded at her, got up, and left before he did something stupid in front of her.

When he thought he was out of her visibility range, he fist pumped the air. "Yes!"

What he didn't know that Lucy could still see him and giggled at the action.

* * *

 **Couldn't resist the Avengers dialogue. Really, it was just asking for it!**

 **I hope you guys liked this, because I didn't. Not much. I wish I could have done a better job of this.**

 **Tomorrow's prompt-** _ **Summer**_


	6. Ice Cream

**Author's Note- Wow, I didn't think people would like Protect much. Thanks guys~**

 **This one is dedicated to deltacaraman. Smut is always better right? ;)**

 **WARNING- SEXUAL CONTENT AHE- it's Laxus. There was bound to be at least one lemon.**

* * *

Day 5- _**Summer:**_ _Ice Cream_

* * *

It was hot.

Very.

Lucy was sweating buckets in the guild hall, and that was when she had simply given up and worn her white bikini top with tiny denim shorts, which were just shy of being underwear in themselves.

She would have been in her apartment, but wherever she went, Natsu followed. And at least the guild was big enough. In her tiny apartment, Natsu made it a furnace in minutes. The guild bar was out of cool drinks, because everything that had been cooled down was sold. Gray had volunteered to cool down anyone who fainted, because if he started cooling everyone his magic would be over in no time.

It was when she spotted a certain blonde head enter the guild that she got an idea. She jumped up, startling everyone around her, and grabbed the man's arm. "Laxus, we are going to my apartment."

It had been three weeks since Laxus and Lucy had finished what the guild had started calling their 'Blonde Shit Fest', (Lucy suspected Cana was the one who had produced the name) the results of which had surprised everyone to say in the least. Lucy had ended up airing Laxus's thoughts on herself in front of the guild, and Natsu in return had outed her crush on the blond man.

Since then, they had gone on a grand total of four dates before summer decided to metaphorically- had it actually done it, Lucy wouldn't have minded- rain on their parade. The crazy temperatures were becoming hard to handle, and right now the only house guest she was ready to welcome was Gray. But she didn't go to him and ask, because she didn't want to die a premature and moist death.

She had heavenly cool ice cream over at her place, but she couldn't have it thanks to a certain (totally unaffected, by the way) fire dragon slayer following her everywhere. She wanted to eat ice cream, not sit in a sauna, minus the steam.

But that's when her brain- the genius that thing it was- suggested something. She couldn't make Natsu leave, but her boyfriend could. The very scent of the man should make Natsu turn and go the other way. Thankfully, Laxus complied.

"Sure Blondie. What for?" When Lucy had explained her situation, Laxus started chuckling. "Yeah sure, I'll come. I just want a share of the ice cream."

"Strawberry's mine, you can have chocolate." He nodded and followed her to the apartment. Soon he was on her couch, with a bucket of chocolate ice cream in hand, while Lucy was sprawled out on her bed with the strawberry bucket.

In hindsight, he really should have seen it coming.

Lucy let out a soft moan when she had the first spoonful of the cold sweet. The sound made Laxus stop opening his own ice cream. Unbidden, erotic fantasies flew through his head, now with sounds to match. Heat pooled in his stomach, but he ignored it and continued with the box.

He knew very well that Lucy was completely unaware of the effect she had around males. For all the revealing clothes she wore, and how many (failed) seduction plans she made, she was actually quite blind to her real sex appeal. Which was her tantalising innocence, combined with her hourglass figure. Laxus had seen that even before he had gotten to know the blonde, hence his offer to save the guild if she became his woman. Of course, then he had just said it for her body.

Now, he had gotten the opportunity to know the mind behind the pretty face. He had been surprised, very surprised, to find her a member of Team Natsu with her level of intelligence. She was smart, quick, sly and snarky all beautifully packed in a petite, albeit curvy body. He throughly enjoyed their quipping sessions, and he lately found himself fantasising about the blonde more often than not.

He was kind of grateful for Gemini outing his feelings, he wouldn't have had the guts to ask her out otherwise.

Quickly dipping his spoon in the ice cream, he was highly disappointed to find that in the time he had spent calming himself, the ice cream had already started heating up. It was still pleasantly cool, but not the type to give one a brain freeze.

"Agh, my shorts are sticking to my skin! I'll just have to remove them." Once again, Laxus fought to remain calm as the blonde got up and removed her shorts. He was surprised to find that she was wearing extremely lacy, black boyshorts. So, there was something in the rumours that stated Lucy had a lot of not so innocent lingerie. Did she really not care that he was here, or had the heat affected her thought processes?

She was back in the previous position as though what just happened were normal proceedings. Laxus couldn't believe this girl- was she like this with everyone? He would have to make sure he was the only one to see her in her underwear.

"So Laxus, do you like it?" Lucy was lying on the bed on her stomach, her spoon hovering midair as she asked him. He simply nodded. He didn't like sweets that much, but it was definitely better than just sitting in the heat.

Her ice cream was liquid by now, and the amount in her spoon dripped down and fell on her skin, her chest to be exact. Laxus could feel his pants tightening as her fingers daubed up the fallen cream from her chest.

Did she even realise how appealing she looked like that? He wanted to be the one to lap up all the ice cream over her. He really liked Lucy, far more than he would admit to anyone, and he thus wanted to make sure that he took things slowly.

A growl escaped him when she sucked on her fingers ever so slowly. And when she looked at him, with her big, innocent eyes, he couldn't control himself any longer. Leaving the ice cream, he went to her bed and crashed his lips over her's.

They had kissed a few times since the liplock in the guild, but those were chaste, sweet kisses. This one was ferocious, hungry. Lucy responded immediately, moving her lips in sync with his. Soon Laxus had deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth. Her sweet taste exploded over his taste buds, and she moaned in his mouth.

The vibrations of the sound reverberated in him, settling down in his pants. Her fingers had tangled themselves in his hair, while his hands were on her neck. Quickly sitting up without breaking the contact, she sent her tongue out to dance with his. They were battling for dominance.

Laxus, who had been kneeling at the end of the bed to kiss her, was standing next to it. Lucy was standing on the bed, and was exactly his height. Grabbing her waist, he brought her closer, her tongue delving deeper in his mouth.

A sweet, musky scent hit him. She was aroused, heavily. Her hands left his hair, and trailed down his neck, to his chest. Finally breaking the kiss, they took heavy breaths. "Don't you feel hot?" She asked in between breaths, her chest heaving. He nodded and a feral grin broke across her lips as he hands grabbed the hem of his shirt. He raised his arms for her. Quickly sliding it up, she removed his shirt, but didn't leave it.

Just as Laxus was wondering what she was up to, the woman brought it up to her nose and _inhaled_. Deeply. He stared at her in shock, while a certain part of his anatomy couldn't help but appreciate how hot the action was.

Lucy threw away the shirt and pressed herself flush against him. Her face was inches away from him, and she brought her lips to his ear. He could feel her hot breath on it. "You smell fucking delicious Laxus Dreyar." She whispered, and then grazed her teeth against his earlobe.

The contact made him shiver, and he descended his lips over her's again. A moan left her, and he pushed her down on the bed. Her hands roamed about his naked chest, her soft touch rousing him further. His hands slid across her curves and reached her breasts. Kneading one, he felt her writhe in his hands. Her thighs clamped together, and her core pressed against his hardened length. The friction made him even harder, and he let his hands undo the knot of the bikini top.

Soon the piece of cloth was on the floor, and Laxus's full attention was on the creamy mounds. His fingers twirled around the pebbled nipples and he felt Lucy shudder under him. Smirking, he administrated great attention to the sensitive peaks. Rolling one in his fingers, while sucking on the other with his mouth. When he bit down on the bud in his mouth, she gasped for air and her hips buckled.

He repeated the action, and thrust to meet her rocking hips. The feeling left him unsatisfied, and he decided that clothes needed to go. Apparently she reached the same idea, because her hands travelled down his chest and toyed with the button of his pants.

His tongue licked the underside of her breasts, and he was rewarded by her voice. "Oh... yes, Laxus!" She had managed to open his pants, because he realised that they were now at his ankles. Just as her hands reached the waistband of his boxers, he stopped.

The heat hazy must clearly have gotten to him, he decided, when he realised just where this was going. He should have stopped sooner! "Lucy, do you realise what we are doing?"

Her breathing was ragged. "Don't...you?" She barely whispered. "You sure you want to do this?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Laxus, I didn't drop ice cream on myself for its stickiness."

Realisation hit Laxus. "You saucy minx." A grin broke out on her lips. "I appreciate that you cared about me enough, but the pace with which we were going was frankly too fucking slow."

"You know, I still want to have my ice cream." She glared at him, but then smirked as she understood his words. "Please, by all means." Hoping that she didn't see him grining like a fool, he quickly grabbed his ice cream bucket and made his way back to the blonde bombshell that was his girlfriend.

She took the bucket from him and dipped the spoon in it. It was already liquid goo, but at least it was still pretty cool. Taking out the dripping spoon, she opened her mouth to let the drops of cream fall on her tongue. "Fuck, that's hot." The words left Laxus's mouth before he could stop them.

Shooting him a grin to show her appreciation at the words, she dipped two fingers in the ice cream. The fingers came out coated in the brown liquid, and she placed them at her throat. Trailing them down to the valley of her breasts, slowly, she twirled them to either side of her mounds. Going further down, she swirled them around her creamy skin, stopping just at the top of her underwear.

He couldn't take his eyes of the path of her digits, and she knew that. Maybe she had put up this show just for that reason. "Well Laxus? Aren't you going to taste?" He snapped out of his reverie of her, and brought his tongue to her neck. He licked the sweet delight off her skin, following the trail she had left, revelling in the fact that every stroke of his muscle had her moaning. He stopped at her panties, just like her fingers had done.

He looked up and found her a panting, moaning mess. Her cheeks were coloured, either from their activities or the heat, he didn't know and he didn't care. Her body was hyperaware. And now he knew that even rolling his tongue elicited such a reaction from her, he wondered- what would happen if he touched her sensitive areas?

Maybe by the end he would have gotten more than one orgasm from her.

Encouraged by the challenge he had set for himself, Laxus grabbed her underwear and in one move had it off her. He was very thankful to see that whatever she may have said about the pace of their relationship, she was still pretty bashful when it came to action. Her face was flustered at him seeing her without anything, and he couldn't help but find it perfect.

Grabbing the ice cream, he repeated what Lucy had done and then held his fingers on top of her core, letting the liquid drip between her lower lips. It must have been pleasant at least, because she shuddered. Fisting the fabric of the bed, she whispered, "again."

Very glad to comply, he quickly moved his dripping finger again, but this time opening her fleshy folds to let it go inside. Her back arched as her hips buckled, and she let out a strangled gasp.

Laxus had never in his life enjoyed foreplay this much, but he never been with a woman as responsive as Lucy. Experimentally, he delved his finger deeper in her when she gave out a breathy moan. His digit found a nub of flesh, one he was going to tease relentlessly. Once again he dipped his finger in the still surprisingly cool liquid and brought it directly to her clit.

"Laxus!"

Pleased with her reaction, he slid his finger into her completely, which was rewarded with another shout of his name. Pumping his finger in and out, he locked his eyes with her's. He could see her unravel around him, and when he slipped in another finger, her walls clamped down on him. An animalistic growl left his lips when he felt her juices lubricating his digits, and she screamed out to the heavens. Taking out his fingers, he brought his mouth to her core.

He wanted to ride her orgasm, to draw out her pleasure and hopefully create the tension for the next one. His tongue darted out, lapping up the chocolate and her own fluids. He really didn't think they would mix, but to his surprise her sweet, fruity taste complimented the ice cream perfectly. His tongue played with her hypersensitive nub of ecstacy.

She was near another orgasm, if her moans were any indication. He explored every crevice of her core, and eventually found the spot he was looking for. Her moans were once again ramping up to screams, and he increased his fervour. Her hands grabbed onto his hair, nails digging into his scalp. The action spurred him on, if nothing else and his tongue rolled with even more vigor. As a last ditch effort, he sent a tiny bolt of lightning through his tongue.

Her core became impossibly tight, and her world shattered around her. He didn't stop, quickly licking at the results of her second orgasm and then removed his boxers. He wanted to simply bury his hilt deep into her, but he also wanted her to cum for him again. So he teased her entrance, placing his head there, enjoying the feeling of her folds against his shaft. But he didn't expect her reaction at all.

"Fuck me Laxus. Now." She growled out, an order meant to be obeyed. He had never been with a dominating woman like her, and he found it immensely sexy. So he did as commanded, and pushed himself inside. A scream left her lips as her body adjusted to his size. He let out a snarl when he entered, finding her extremely tight.

He softly pulled himself out, till his head, and slid himself in once again. Building up a slow, steady pace, he continued to move inside her. He didn't want to hurt her, and he thus handled her with extreme care. Capturing her lips, he continued with the sedate thrusts.

"Faster, Laxus." She whispered as she broke their kiss. He increased his pace, speeding up. And then Lucy bucked her hips mid thrust, taking him all in, till the hilt. A moan left both of their lips, and her walls clenched around him. He now understood what she wanted.

He slammed himself inside her, adding all the force he could muster. Lucy struggled to keep up with him, she changed her angle to make sure he hit her sweet spot every time.

"Harder Laxus!" She screamed out. He thrust into her with bruising force, and her fingers dug into his back. His muscles worked overtime as he slammed into her, each thrust more powerful than the last.

Scream after scream of ecstacy left her lips, and her legs wrapped around his hips so hard that her heels dug into him. Her walls began to flutter around him, and he knew she was about to unravel once again.

He pumped with renewed vigor, and her walls clamped down on him, making his eyes roll to the back of his head in pleasure.

"LAXUS!"

She came undone around him, shouting his name as her body arched with the force of her orgasm. Two drives later Laxus roared as he shot his seed into her, her sex pulling everything he had to offer.

He collapsed next to her after removing his spent member from her, gasping for breath. No woman had left him this sated. Their bodies were slick with sweat, the result of the heat combined with their activities.

Lucy turned to face him, her eyes finding his. She shot him a lazy grin, one he returned easily. Once he had regained his ability to form coherent sentences, he said, "I think this summer you will never be short of ice cream."

She winked at him. "That's good, because I have a sweet tooth after all." After staring at each other for about ten minutes, Laxus saw her eyes light up.

A feral grin on her lips, she said, "I still have the strawberry ice cream left, you know."

He smirked at her. "It'll be a shame to waste it."

Correction, Laxus loved sweets.

* * *

 **I hope the lemon was satisfactory.**

 **There is something seriously wrong with me. The whole time I was writing this, all I could think about was ice cream. Like, detailed. The way condensation rolled down the cup's sides, how it looked when it started melting...I should just stop.**

 **Okay guys, I have a BIG surprise for you guys tomorrow, with the next prompt! So, stay tuned.**

 **Tomorrow's prompt-** _ **Falling**_


	7. Pain

**Author's Note- I am an idiot. Summer was the continuation of War. Why didn't I say that in Summer? Because I am an idiot who forgot.**

 **Here's the surprise- I have TWO entries for Falling.**

* * *

Day 6- _**Falling-**_ _Pain_

* * *

 _the most dangerous lover is one who greets pain with a smile_

* * *

Pain.

There was a time she hated pain.

There was also a time she endured pain for her friends, for her family.

Then came the pain of losing _her_. Aquarius. And it was gone just as swiftly as a wave.

Now, she welcomes, even embraces pain.

Its sick, twisted really, how she lets the pain wash over her. It drives her, makes her feel alive, gives her a temporary respite from the numbness that has consumed her. It keeps the loneliness that haunts her at bay, something which the chemicals coursing through her bloodstream sometimes fails to do.

And she is tired, so tired of always being so empty.

* * *

Pain.

He was no stranger to pain. His father inflicted pain on him on a daily basis. He was a fighter, pain was mandatory. Physical pain was his friend, his companion.

He had experienced other forms of pain too. He was removed from his family, and it hurt. It was his fault, but that didn't make the suffering any easy. He saw his friends experience pain, and that hurt too.

The dissolution of the guild hurt on a whole another level.

But it was this pain, this heart wrenching hurt, that threatened to break him.

* * *

He remembered the time he really noticed her. She was starlit, gentle. Her half smirks and mischievous eyes lost on everyone. Everyone except him. So accepting, constantly smiling, forever cheerful.

She took and she took. Opened her arms to even the biggest enemies. So soothing. Tranquil. Constant.

But then he saw her roused, and rage he couldn't believe she was capable of overtook her. Eyes blazing, she sparked; bright and burning. She gave as good as she got. Determined to save the one's she loves. To make sure they don't hurt.

Ready to give her own being for them. Sacrifices did not mean anything to her if she could ensure the well being of her family.

So seeing her that day had been one of the biggest shocks of his life.

Laxus met her in a shady bar, a place he didn't she would ever be seen at. She ordered harsh drinks and downed them instantly. He went up to her, greeted her. And stared.

Her eyes were dead.

She kept up her front. Smiled, laughed and teased. And when she was inhibited, it seemed more real. But never enough. He could see through her façade.

She seemed the most alive when they crashed on each other's lips with bruising force. Then he left, scared of doing something he might regret.

But the next night, he found himself there again. Curiosity killed the cat. Next to her. Ordering drinks for them. She drank, and drank. She tried to find happiness at the end of her glass.

And their lips found each other's again.

This time he was intoxicated as well. He slammed her into the alley wall, and saw a glimmer of life. Claiming her then and there; lost in their rough, demanding, painful coupling.

Later he cursed himself.

It became their pattern. Drink, and then somehow reach her apartment. And once done, when she is fast asleep on their sweat soaked bed, overwhelming rush of anguish took over him. Guilt threatened to drown him.

His eyes traced her body, drinking in her features, following every broken crevice. His mind lingered on what she used to be.

A blazing bonfire snuffed out to a single flame.

And he wondered why.

* * *

 _to be human is to be broken, and broken is it's own kind of beautiful_

* * *

Everyday becomes the same. Days start merging. Has it been a week? A month? More?

She doesn't know. She doesn't care either.

She revels in every touch. She aches for him so acutely, wants him so desperately, and yearns for him so deeply that it hurts. And pain, is welcome.

She likes it so badly.

She loves the way pain washes out everything, makes her forget, even if it is a temporary reprive. And when it's done, the alcohol takes her away.

Sometimes she think of breaking the monotomy which keeps her sane. To try to live. To stop caring. But then the numbness catches up with her, and her hands automatically reach for the liquid to drown it all out.

Because if she didn't, the memories would come back again.

* * *

He asked her, questioned her. And he put the pieces together. A picture formed, a picture that disgusted him. And he was a part of the image.

The worst part was that he didn't even bother asking till it was too late.

She sacrificed Aquarius to keep her family alive. The same family that left her soon after that.

The horror overtook him. He finally understood her behaviour. She was hurting, in pain. Her spirits visited him when she was asleep. Requesting that he look after her.

He provided comfort in every way possible. He told her sweet lies of a bright future, he kissed her consciousness away.

But then he did something that he hadn't planned to do.

* * *

His hands held her's. Cupped her face. Wrapped around her waist. His hands, the one's that teetherd her to this land for a while longer.

He changed. Something was different. He started restricting her booze. He stopped the harsh, ferocious kisses. He didn't let her sate her hunger. He didn't let her hurt the way she wanted.

He made her live.

He made her go out. He took her to new places. He showed her new things. He introduced her to new sounds. He let her taste new flavours. He made her see the world, in all its beauty.

He made something flutter in the dried husk of her heart.

But one day, the dreams came back. The one she had locked away under all the chemical haze. And she relapsed.

* * *

One night, before he started correcting her habits, she looked into his eyes. She was drunk, very. Her caramel held his blue. Her mouth parted, and words flew.

"Don't fall in love with me."

He inquired the reason.

"Love requires eternity."

Tears flowed down her cheeks, and he kissed them. Her eyes were alive, the spark of the past burning, captivating him.

"I can't give you eternity, Laxus. Death will win."

He embraced her, letting her sweet scent wash over him. He felt her weak, tired heart beats.

"Death also demands eternity."

And that night, he realised. He would do anything for this woman. He would erase her pain. He would give her a new life.

Her pain was breaking him.

And if she still kept falling down that downward spiral to doom, he would fall with her.

He would give her his eternity.

So when she gave in to the alcohol seeping into her system, he murmured.

"I love you Lucy."

For he had fallen for her.

* * *

 _if love strikes you, let it rattle your bones, and if it kills you, so be it._

 _for death is always invited in the presence of beauty._

* * *

 **The quotes are by the extraordinary RM Drake! Check out his Instagram, it's amazing.**

 **Turn the page!**


	8. Never Let You Go

**Fluff ahoy!**

* * *

Day 6- _ **Falling:** Never Let You Go_

* * *

Lucy felt as though her head would explode any minute. Everyone in the guild would be soon covered with her grey cells.

Maybe then they could absorb them and actually develope a brain.

Her head collapsed on the bar counter, rolling from side to side to soothe it's ache. Ignoring Mira, she continued doing that till she felt strong hands grab her waist. Quickly sitting straight, a moan left her lips when the sudden movement ramped up her headache.

"Blondie, that's enough. I'm taking you to the guild infirmary." And then Laxus scooped her up in his arms, bridal style to her absolute embarrassment, and started for the staircase.

"Laxus! Let me go!" A smirk she dreaded seeing crept up his lips. His arms around her slacked, and she felt a temporary feeling of being weightless, before gravity started pulling her again. A shriek left her and she cluched at Laxus's shirt, only to feel his hands around her tightly.

"Still want me to let you go?" She whined at the comment. "Unfair Laxus, you know what I meant." He chuckled, a sound which never failed to make butterflies go rampant in her stomach. Seriously, she would have to talk to them, why do they have to be so adamant about this?

As Laxus started climbing the staircase, her head throbbed and she winced. She just wanted for this headache to go away. She shut her eyes, which she realised was a bad move when in the arms of a predator.

The fimilar feeling of weightlessness overtook her, and it felt as though she left her stomach in the air when she started falling again. Desperate, her fingers once again clawed at the blond man's clothes. But strong arms stopped her contact with the stairs, and she breathed a sigh of relief before looking at the man responsible.

"Laxus! Stop! What if I fall?" He gave her a cheesy grin which instantly melted her heart.

"I'd never let you go." He said cheekily, and Lucy huffed one before crossing her arms. Just as she relaxed, he once again let Lucy go. Screaming, her hands tried to grab thin air.

Laxus caught her and accidentally smacked her head against the banister. Lucy saw her spirits in their original form, as stars. "Shit Lucy, I am sorry! I won't do that again! Does it hurt too much?"

He quickly reached the second floor and deposited her on the first bed he could reach. Lucy fluttered her eyes open was greeted with the worried face of the lightning dragon slayer.

She brought her lips up to his and pressed them together. "It's okay Laxus. I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me."

He huffed, but his face relaxed. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't worry about my girl?"

And he closed the gap between their lips again.

* * *

 **I know, both of them were tiny. I just thought that stretching them would be just wrong. Useless.** **I just hope you guys liked them. This is the first time I have written something close to angst.**

 **Who am I kidding? They were very short and equally weird!**

 **Tomorrow's prompt-** _ **Father**_

 **I have been stuck on Father for a long time now. Hopefully it will be finished by tomorrow.**


	9. Drama

**Author's Note- This was hell. I had such irritating writer's block with this prompt, I wanted to just delete the whole thing.**

 **I barely made the deadline, seeing as it is going to be midnight here. So...this isn't as good as what I wanted it to be.**

 **It's a Modern AU. Story is based on how stuff is here in my country, so it might be different than what you guys are used to.**

 **Funny, the story is EXACTLY 4300 words. Lol.**

* * *

Day 7- _**Father:**_ _Drama_

* * *

Excited, Lucy though, was putting it mildly.

Their school had one annual function every year. It alternated from a sports display to a stage display each year. This year was a concert year, and Lucy was very excited. Their class had been given to put up a drama, something for which Lucy was eternally grateful. The other option was a dance display, and she really didn't like dancing.

"Lucy! We won't have the third period!" Levy, her friend, was whining to her. "It's okay Levy, I am sure Mr Gildarts will cover it in one of our free periods."

They had been called to the auditorium for practices. The concert was in a month and the teachers had finally decided what play their classes would be putting up. So that meant for the whole batch of 12th would have to start their practices. They were doing it in their third period, which was physics for 12-C. Levy, who it seemed like breathed to study, was extremely worried.

"Yeah Levy! Cheer up! We are getting to _legally_ skip periods!" Lucy turned to see the pink head of one of her best friends. "Natsu, I personally agree with your sentiment, but this is Levy. You're not helping." He simply sighed and went ahead to demand a fight with their fellow batch mate Elfman.

Lucy laughed as she observed her friends. Juvia was picking up a discarded school shirt, undoubtedly one Gray must have dropped. Erza was discussing the variety of strawberry cakes that might be present today for lunch with Lisanna. Her sister, Mira, was walking with a junior, Meredy, and a fellow batch mate, Sorano and talking about the latest ships in their favourite anime. Lucy knew for a fact that Meredy had History right now, but she let the girl bunk anyway.

Lucy was the daughter of one of the richest men in the country- Jude Heartfilia. She had spent her childhood playing with her now deceased mother, and her pre teens trying desperately to please her father, who was never satisfied. He decided to send her away to a boarding school, like all rich men eventually end up doing. But Lucy refused to go to the school of his liking, and instead was adamant that it would be Fairy Tail or nothing.

So he relentled, and Lucy joined the school. And finally, Lucy's life took a turn for the better. She met her best friend, Natsu Dragneel, on the first day. She was warmly welcomed by everyone, and for the first time in her life had friends. Even in her childhood, she was never allowed to interact with kids her age, and the only person close to a friend was her mother. So when she died, Lucy because alone. It left a wide, gaping hole in her heart which kept growing bigger every day, till she joined Fairy Tail.

Now, she was never lonely.

They were quickly ushered into the hall, and made to sit section wise. Once everyone was in, 12-A's class teacher, Miss Carla, went up to the stage, dogmatically followed by Lucy's class teacher, Mr Happy.

Lucy sometimes wondered. Who would in their right minds name their child Happy? It seemed like such a Natsu move, totally idiotic. The man was doomed to mockery for the rest of his life.

"Class 12, as you all already know, the concert is coming. We have to put up a play, and after heavy discussion we have decided to do "The Contest of the Gods". It's based on Greek Mythology. Does anyone know about the contest over Athens?" Next to Lucy, Levy's well practiced hand shot up. Carla nodded at the bluenette. "Poseidon and Athena contested over who would be the patron deity for the city state of Athens."

"Yes, that is correct. You all will enact the whole incident. I have the casting here with me, so everyone please maintain silence." Everyone shut up. Miss Carla had a reputation, and not a good one.

"Poseidon, God of the seas- Sting Eucliffe 12-B." Sting fist pumped the air while Orga clapped his back. Then his best friend, Rogue, leaned in. "Sting, Poseidon loses in the contest." At that Sting looked pissed. "Hey! Miss Carla! Change my role! I wanna win!"

"Athena wins, Eucliffe. Do you want to be a girl?" Horrified, he shook his head while the whole hall started laughing. "I thought so. Now, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Skill, will actually be Lucy Heartfilia of 12-C."

Lucy froze in her position while her friends started congratulating her. Sting cursed under his breath. "Damn, I'll lose to Blondie." Rogue smirked. "There are worse ways of losing."

"SILENCE!" The auditorium was completely silent. Nobody messed with an irritated Miss Carla. "Now, where was I? Ah yes. Cecrops, the King of Athens will be played by Erik of 12-B." Lucy looked over to her best frenemy. They had had their disagreements when he had joined the school, but now Erik was Lucy's go to guy to let off steam. An hour with him cursing life in general, and she felt good as new.

He gave her his signature smirk. "Seems like you will be groveling for my approval Bright Eyes." He never called anyone by their name, so Bright Eyes it was. It was way better than half of the names he came up with, so she didn't mind.

"Hephaestus, God of Fire and Forge- Natsu Dragneel 12-C." Natsu looked over the moon to be even selected. Gray smirked. "You know Natsu, Hephaestus was so ugly that his own mother, Hera, threw him off a mountain." Nastu took some time to register the meaning of the words. "Hey! I ain't ugly! Hera, come fight me!"

"Natsu Dragneel, please be quiet. Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and wife of Hephaestus- Juvia Lockser 12-A." At that Juvia gave a pitiful moan. "No, Juvia loves Gray-sama, not his enemy!"

"Ares, God of War- Gray Fullbuster 12-C." An idea popped up in Lucy's head. "Juvia, you know that Aphrodite cheats on Hephaestus with Ares?"

"Fuck Lucy! Why did you have to tell her that?"

"Gray Fullbuster, do you wish to leave? No? Good. Apollo, God of the Sun, Music, Shepards etc and twin brother of Artemis- Gajeel Redfox 12-A." He grinned. "Someone noticed my musical talent."

Everyone shivered at the thought of Gajeel singing during the play.

"Artemis- Goddess of the Moon, The Hunt, Chastity etc and twin sister of Apollo- Erza Scarlet 12-C." Erza and Gajeel glared at each other. Jellal looked pale, and was muttering something under his breath. Lucy shifted a little to listed in. "Chastity...virginity...Erza..."

Lucy shifted back to her previous position. She would definitely be teasing the redhead later.

"Hades, God of the Underworld and Dead- Rogue Cheney 12-B." Next to Sting, the brunette sighed. "Goddamn, now I'll have to bear with Sting there too."

"Demeter, Goddesses of Harvest- Cana Alberona 12-C." Cana looked here and there in confusion. "Who in their right minds would give me a role?"

"Hermes, God of Flock, Roads, Travelling etc- Jellal Fernandez 12-B." He paled even more at the statement for some reason.

"Hera, Goddess of Marriage and the Queen of the Gods- Mirajane Strauss 12-C." Lisanna hugged her sister. "Good going!"

"Lastly, Zeus, God of Sky and Thunder, The Supreme God- Laxus Dreyar of 12-A. Backstage help- Levy McGarden and Sorano and Yukino Agria. All those whose name have been called out, stay. Rest, leave." After bidding her friends bye, Lucy wandered off to break up Natsu and Gray's fight.

Laxus Dreyar.

Her eyes wandered to Laxus. He was sitting alone, since his group of followers- the Thunder Legion, they called themselves- were not selected. They called themselves that because Laxus was called Lightning on the field due to his excellent performance. He looked bored, his stormy blue eyes wandering from here to there.

He was the grandson of the principal, Makarov Dreyar. But he never threw that around. He perfected everything he did. His grades were the top of his class. All track and field events he had ever undertaken, he won. Nobody could bench press more than him in the entire batch.

And damn if that wasn't just the tip of the iceberg.

Lucy would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't interested in diving into the water and seeing the rest of the iceberg. She had caught herself many times staring at the blond hunk, and so had Natsu. Thankfully he didn't say anything about it to anyone else, Lucy would be dead if Mira found out about her little crush on the athlete.

But she wasn't planning to do anything about that, because the only time they had interacted was when Mira had called him to request him to join the inter school sports competition they had with Phantom Lord, which was incidentally where Gajeel had met Levy, and Juvia had fallen for Gray. Later when the school shut down, they joined Fairy Tail.

Laxus had simply scoffed and said that he would come if Lucy agreed to be his girl. Before Lucy herself could say anything, Mira had promptly cut the call.

Phantom Lord had been the school Lucy was to join before she had rebelled against her father. After sending her to Fairy Tail, he had once again changed his mind and planned to take her out. She said that Fairy Tail is the better school, so her father agreed to a wager. If Fairy Tail manages to defeat Phantom Lord in the sports competition, then she can stay. Her friends had supported her fully, and had trained to beat the school for a month. But Laxus was their star athlete, and with his help it would have been a breeze.

The managed to scrape through, and Lucy stayed.

So her experiences with the blond were not exactly pleasant, but that hadn't stopped her brain from noticing how good looking he was. Or how intelligent. Or how serious.

She would just avoid him and hope for the best.

"Okay, here at the scripts. Read them properly. You should have memorised them by the next week. Now, who will be the incharge of the practices?" Miss Carla distributed the scrips and looked from student to student. Her gaze rested on Lucy, who promptly tried to hide behind Erza.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you're responsible for the practices. The hall is yours for the third, fourth and eighth period everyday. And after school hours, of course." Lucy nodded at the teacher. "I will be seeing the entire play in three weeks." Lucy groaned internally, but kept her composure.

At least, till the teachers left.

As soon as Miss Carla's foot was out the door, she slumped her shoulders. "So Blondie, you gonna start the practices now?" The deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

"You're blond too, jackass." For some reason his tone made Lucy's blood boil. He sneered at her. "Fine, we gonna have the practices today, _Princess_?"

Stalking up to him with heavy steps, she glared at him. "Nice scar, want me to rip you a new one?" He narrowed his eyes at her, while the rest of them grew silent.

Nobody had seen the sweet blonde this angry, and definitely not at Laxus. Everyone was staring at them with wide eyes, except Erik who was smirking, as was his custom.

"You? Hit me? Have you seen yourself? You're all fat and no muscle, Princess. Not that I wouldn't mind being pressed between those thunder thighs you seem to be so proud of."

"Oh I'll bet you won't mind. Just don't pass you if I touch you, because I have heard that happening to boys who haven't gotten action in a _long_ time."

"Boys do that, not men Princess. And if I did get between there, you'll be purring like a cat in no time."

"It wouldn't do to forget Scarface, that felines had claws. So you admit you haven't seen some action in a long time. And who says that you're getting anywhere near me?"

"Depends what you call a long time. For me, even a week is too long. And who wants to be near you?"

"I'll inform you that almost all men would want to be near me. I'm more worried about you _Daddy_ , with that sneer you won't be getting any action."

"Have you finally lost it? Apart from the fact that women drool over this daily, Daddy? Really?"

"Oh, didn't you know? Athena is Zeus's _daughter_."

Everyone stared, silently, as they threw retort after retort at each other, while Erik looked at the female blonde with pride.

Suddenly the door banged open, startling everyone. It was Lisanna. "Don't you want to go for lunch?"

They had spent an entire lesson abusing each other.

* * *

Lucy stared the practices the next day, and found a big problem.

Laxus.

Either he couldn't act for the life of him, or he just refused to do so. But whatever the reason, Lucy was convinced that if he didn't perform, it would be her head on the platter.

"Laxus! At least say the correct dialogue!"

"Piss off, Blondie."

Every day it was the same. He was worse than Erza at acting, and that was saying something seeing as she didn't even have any dialogues because of it. She had initially had one dialogue, which Lucy had been forced to give to Cana.

But as the Supreme God, Lucy couldn't do the same for him, and pestered him everyday during the practices. And then went to visit Erik, because she really needed someone to listen who wouldn't mind her not so PG-13 curses.

Okay, she was extremely explicit.

But she was also extremely pissed.

"I just want to take my fist and shove it up his arrog-" Erik cut her off. "Bright Eyes, I can't understand why you can't see it, but relax. You look like shit, and I know it's his fault. Tomorrow we have to show the play to Miss Carla."

"I know Erik, that's why I am so worried!"

* * *

Worry didn't let Lucy sleep. She kept tossing and turning around in her blanket, and eventually discarded it altogether. When she woke up the next day, she was cold and sleep deprived.

"Damn Luce, you look like shit." Lucy's leg muscles twitched at hearing the same phrase being used at her in twenty four hours, but she abstained. "No shit Sherlock. I couldn't sleep last night."

Her head throbbed, but she continued standing at the edge of the stage. "Sting, get into position." Erik dragged the blond to the stage. She was very grateful to her frenemy, he was her second in command. His dark stare could move anyone.

"Damnit, Miss Carla is here! Natsu! Gray! Stop fighting backstage, everyone can hear you! Sting, quick!" And then she jumped on the stage as the teachers entered the auditorium, quickly giving one stink eye to the people on her side, hidden to the audience by partitions.

Levy, who was backstage, gave the introduction of the play. Breathing deeply and ignoring the headache which refused to go away, Lucy stepped up and set the ball rolling.

Lucy's headache kept increasing as the play folded, and she breathed a sigh of relief at every successful dialogue spoken by the others. She was worried. As soon as the first act was over and the curtain fell, she ran to change the props with the others, and stopped. She was trembling.

It was the scene with Laxus and Erza. This was the most crucial point, because if any scene would be messed up, it was this. She felt feverish, but tried to ignore it like the headache.

"I address the court of the Gods to demand an answer for our current predicament."

Next was Laxus's dialogue. She couldn't hear anything. Strange, why had the world fallen silent? Laxus looked straight into her eyes. The stage looked dimmer than usual. Did someone switch off the lights?

Laxus opened his mouth to speak, and Lucy knew no more.

* * *

"Idiotic girl! Who let her get up on that stage?"

She fluttered her eyes open. The head of the infirmary, Porlyusica, was staring down at her. "Ah, you're awake. Good, here have these medicines." The cranky lady shoved some pills in Lucy's hand as the latter sat up.

Wendy, the student helper in the infirmary, offered her a glass of water. Lucy quickly gulped down the pills. "What happened?" Her throat hurt, and her voice was raw.

"Worry happened! You must have caught the cold in the night, and then it got triggered when you were on the stage. You fainted." Lucy stared at the lady in shock.

"What happened to the play?" She scoffed and went out the room. "They continued without you Lucy-san. And you should go to sleep, you need to be well rested to get well soon!" Lucy thanked Wendy and sunk into the pillows.

The next time she woke up, it was morning. She felt better than she had done in days. Stretching, she got up. "So you're awake. Here are your pills." Obediently, she took the pills. "So can I go now?"

"No. You are not leaving here till the evening of the concert. That too only because apparently the you have a role. I would have refused, since that is the reason you're sick, but then principal insists." At that she mumbled something under her breath that sounded like profanities to Lucy.

She could be wrong.

But this was Porlyusica, she didn't think she was wrong.

"But I have to see to the practices!" Lucy started to get out of her bed and was promptly hit on her head with a broom. "Stupid girl! When I say that you stay, you STAY." Lucy nodded, scared.

"Good. Here, these are for you." She handed Lucy three letters.

She opened the first one and sighed. The untidy scrawl she was acquainted with took a time to decipher.

 _Luce,_

 _The demon won't let me meet you! She said to write down whatever I want to the you. Meanie. We miss you, and it's only been one day! Lisanna won't let me break into her dorm room!_

 _Get well soon Luce!_

 _Natsu._

Laughing, she folded it back. Lucy knew why Lisanna didn't want him to enter. The whole school was well aware of her crush over the pink haired boy.

She picked up the second letter and couldn't help but compard this neat, tiny handwriting with the girl who wrote it.

 _Dear Lu-chan,_

 _I hope you're okay now. I got such a shock when you simply collapsed. It was a good thing that Sting caught you, otherwise you would have cracked your skull open. I'll make sure to make two copies of all the notes we get till you come back, so don't worry!_

 _Levy._

Lucy smiled. Her friends looked out for her no matter how.

The next letter was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

 _Lucy,_

 _Get well soon. I'll try to get some strawberry cake for you in the infirmary, because it always works when I am sick. I should have noticed sooner that you were unwell. You have full permission to punish me for my lack of awareness._

 _Erza._

The handwriting of the last letter was one Lucy recognized instantly, although that was a recent development.

 _The Greatest Idiot out there,_

 _I told you to relax! And now you're stuck there in that godforsaken place! Any place being ruled by that devil woman is godforsaken. I've officially taken over the practices, and that includes Laxus as well, so don't get your panties in a twist about them anymore._

 _Get well soon Bright Eyes, I need my cussing partner to get through this week._

 _Erik._

Lucy could practically hear her friend saying the worda with his smirk in place.

Sighing, she put all the letters under her pillow. Looking at the table next to her, she saw another letter there, one she hadn't seen before. She picked it up.

It was not a hand she recognized.

 _Get well soon, the world is not interesting without you anymore ._

Lucy stared at the words, heat rising in her cheeks.

It was kinda romantic.

She turned the page to look for a signature, but all she found was a scrawl of a pen, done as though to see whether it worked or not.

* * *

The rest of the week passed very slowly for Lucy. As it turned out, Porlyusica had banned any member of the play to visit her, because they could tell her information which would make her worry again. She tried to study, but her mind didn't let her.

So she resorted to read through the play's script so many times, she was sure that she remembered everyone's lines.

She was extremely glad when the day of the play finally came, and she was allowed to get ready for it in the afternoon. She quickly ran to the auditorium.

"Hey Luce! You're back!" She was almost tackled by Natsu, but he was stopped by Gajeel. "Get ready Bunny Girl, your costume is with the girls." She went to the girls changing room and was tackled (successfully) by a blur of red hair.

"Lucy!" She hugged her back, happy to see her friend again. "Can't.. breathe.."

Soon they had strapped her into her costume, put makeup, brushed her hair, and she was ready. She went out to see the boys, and was greeted with a familiar smirk. "You ready to grovel, Bright Eyes?"

She looked over Erik once. She had known that the King of Athens was half snake, but she hadn't expected how natural Erik would look in the costume. "I think you were really meant to be a snake Erik. The costume suits you more than your legs."

"Back Princess?" Lucy turned to see the man, and froze. He was perfect. A crown rested on his blonde hair, and a white toga was draped around his body. She highly appreciated how the costume showed more than it hid, giving her a great view of his drool worthy muscles. The lightning bolt on his hand looked normal in his hand, as though he was made to wield lightning. His name on the field suited him in many ways.

"Yes Daddy. Thanks for worrying though."

His eyes were stormy, and they were making it hard for her to focus. Something tapped her shoulder and she was jolted awake from her reverie. "It's about to start Bright Eyes. Let's go."

She quickly ran to the center of the stage, and after a curt nod to Sting, focused on the curtain in front of her.

Just as Levy's description was over, Lucy took a deep breath. A spotlight hit her and the curtains started going up.

 _It's show time._

* * *

Lucy had never been more giddy in her entire life.

The play was a massive success. Natsu and Gray didn't start fighting on the stage, Erza managed to stay poker straight, Cana wasn't drunk. But that wasn't the most surprising part.

Laxus was perfect.

He acted perfectly, his timing was impeccable, and he remembered every dialogue without a fault.

Clearly she was very bad at correcting people, because Erik seems to have done the impossible.

They were all backstage, since all the participants would only leave when the entire concert was over. "Erik, how did you do it?"

He turned away from some juniors who were hitting on him. "What did I do Bright Eyes?" The girls, clearly thinking that the name meant intimacy, grumbled and left. "Damnit. You should really date someone, make things easier for me. Every girl think we are together or something. Why, I can't understand."

Lucy tried not to laugh as she understood exactly why they thought so, but abstained from saying anything on the matter. "How did you manage to make Lauxs act so perfectly?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I didn't." Something flitted through his mind, because he smirked at her. "You should ask him what changed." And then he dragged her over to where the Thunder Legion was fawning over Lauxs. "LAXUS!"

The man in question turned, and frowned when he saw Lucy and Erik. "What do you want, Snake Man?" Erik shoved Lucy into Laxus. "You both need to talk. ASAP." And he left.

"I am sorry Laxus. I don't kn-" Lucy started apologising, but stopped mid way when she saw his expression. He was serious; intense, a look she had never seen on him till now.

"Catch a movie with me. Tomorrow." Her eyes fluttered in surprise, and her gaze rested on the lightning bolt in his hand.

Zeus, God of Lightning.

Laxus Dreyar, the Lightning on the field.

Lightning.

Suddenly, the symbol she had passed of as a squiggle behind the anonymous letter had a name.

"You're the person who sent me that letter." The words left her mouth before she could over think them. His face flushed. "W-What letter? Tch, woman you've gone off the deep end."

She giggled as he turned his face, obviously trying to hide his blush. "Yes, I would like to come with you for a movie. Just, nothing with a lot of gore."

His lips broke into the first true grin she had seen on his face. She could feel the heat rise to her face.

He looks amazing when he smiles.

"Great, meet you at eleven tomorrow. Don't be late Princess."

"I won't be, Daddy."

* * *

"Hey, why did Laxus do that with Lucy?" Levy was musing over the entire situation with Erza and Mira. Just then Natsu walked in and heard the bluenette. "That's easy. He wanted Lucy to focus all her attention on him." At that Mira squealed.

"Ah! Imagine the adorable babies they would make!"

* * *

 _Fin._

* * *

 **I want to thank all of you guys who followed, favourited and reviewed on this story. You guys motivated me to keep writing, even when I was stuck.**

 **Without you guys, LaLu Week would not have been the amazing experience that it was for me.**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Untill next time.**

 **Live long and prosper.**

 **Fizz out.**


End file.
